


Origin of Aria

by CabbitAndTheWeasel



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: Adventure, Aria Surana, Circle Mage Origin, Elf Mage, Fantasy, Female Surana - Freeform, Gen, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Mild Gore, character driven, dragon age origins - Freeform, dysfunctional friends as family, sexual content later, so much plot I can't...
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-18
Updated: 2017-08-23
Packaged: 2018-06-09 04:18:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 21
Words: 80,587
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6889690
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CabbitAndTheWeasel/pseuds/CabbitAndTheWeasel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Magic is a curse upon humanity. The Chant teaches the common folk and the nobles that there is nothing more sinister than a mage without her gilded cage and Templar tourniquets. Then there was Aria. She was a small and insignificant elf, trapped in her tower. And yet, it was she who would save Ferelden from The Fifth Blight.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Harrowing

**Author's Note:**

> All current chapters can be found on my Fanfiction.net account of the same name.
> 
> Dragon Age Origin Character Being Used:  
> Aria Surana  
> Race: Elf  
> Origin: Mage  
> Age: 18  
> Gender: Female

The apprentice dormitories were cold, as usual. No amount of build in cobblestone fireplaces that were on either end of one room could supply the necessary heat for one to get a comfortable rest. Nevertheless, such was the norm in the Circle of Magi, why supply the feared with comfort when you want them to never forget that they are unwanted in a world cast in dull light? Curling her thin frame into a tight ball under her thin blanket a figure tried to get but a few more winks of sweet sleep before evening lessons were to begin.

However, rapid footsteps coming her way told her any more attempts at rest would be futile. Lifting her head as the figure of a average size human man with dark brown hair came into the young woman's view she inwardly sighed as she recognized the human as her friend Jowan. Jowan was much older than she was, in his early 30's she believed and had been an apprentice Mage in the Circle since he was a young teenager. The friend stopped just before her bed and slouched down to heave a heavy breath of relief.

"Thank the Maker I found you before you went for your lessons Aria." Jowan huffed and stood straight again. Aria yawned before she questioned the man on why he was in such a hurry.

"What's up Jowan? You seem worried." Aria spoke calmly as she stood up from her bed to look up at him. Being an Elven Mage as she was she lacked the height to look her friend full in the face, her head only just reaching the bottom of his chest.

"Senior Enchanter Erving has called for you Aria…for the Harrowing!" Jowan revealed. Dark eyebrows shot up as Aria looked up at her friend in shock.

"What? Me?" The suddenness of such news had caught her thoughts and left her unable to comprehend what was going on. The Harrowing, the most grueling test any mage of any race from any Circle of Magi must go through before they are considered a full-fledged Mage. Many residence of the Circle usually had to wait several years of strict training before being recommended for the test. One had to show the utmost skill and ability to control not only the magic that flowed through them, but of the control of any desires that could cause the chance encounter with a demon of the Fade. Though, while every Mage in training is taught to resist any temptation, only a few at a time are chosen to be deemed worthy of moving on in the ranks of the Circle.

This was no honor though by all means. The Harrowing was just a way for the Templars that guarded the Mages that lived, chained to the Circle, to weed out the weak ones and crush them. The ones that do pass however, move higher up and given only the smallest amount of freedom such as jobs to carry out in the name of the Circle or for the Templars.

But back to the more pressing matter, Aria had not been here or trained as long as many mages, like Jowan. So why was she called?

"I always knew you would be called one day. You're a talented elf you know that, much better than I am." Jowan interrupted her tangle of thoughts. Quietly, she shook her head.

"I've done nothing different than you Jowan….But, if I'm called, then I guess all I can do is follow the First Enchanters orders."

"Good luck Aria." her friend whispered. Aria nodded and walked silently out of the dormitory the same way Jowan had ran in.

* * *

 

Aria's heeled uniform shoe's sent hollow clicks under toe from each step she took up the uneven tower stairs. She, escorted by two armed and armored Templar's, headed for the highest point in Ferelden's Circle where the Knight-Commander and First Enchanter waited for her. It was there Aria would take part in an apprentice's worst nightmare.

The clink and clang of her escorts' armor mixed with her steps without unison until the top of the stairs were reached. There, her deep brown eyes met with Irving's. First Enchanter was an old man, with worried wrinkles and a grey beard long enough to hide his neck from view. His arms opened to Aria welcomingly, but the imposing voice of the Knight-Commander interjected.

"Magic exists to serve man, not rule over him." He spoke as if disciplining a young child. It was after that the elf tuned the man out. Aria didn't like the Knight-Commander, he was easy to judge a mage and find fault with them and ignore the faults of the men and women under his leadership.

"…demons of the dream relm—the Fade are drawn to you and seek to use you as a gateway into this world."

"It is for this reason the Harrowing exists," Irving continued. "the ritual will send you into the Fade. It is there you will face a demon…armed only with your will."

Aria listened to the First Enchanters explanation of what was to happen. She showed only vague surprise that the Harrowing involved going into the one place Mages were at their most vulnerable. Lets face it, it could be worse, they could have told her they would make her get possessed and she would have to thrust the demon from her body herself. However, a question still plagued her.

"What if I fail to kill this demon?" she asked.

"If you do by some chance fail to eradicate the demon, the Templars will not hesitate to kill you on my command." Knight-Commander answered. Aria turned her head to look at the delicate altar with some sort of glowing lyrium mixture in a bowl to hide the rolling of her eyes. Yeah…no pressure right?

"….Then I am ready." She murmured without a stutter, no time to show fear now. Walking up to the altar Aria dipped one small hand into the bowl and watched as pale light enveloped the fingers, and then the palm. A warm, almost burning sensation started and shot up her arm in a jolt of pain and strange feeling of unbridled pleasure. She jerked her hand away from the altar in shock, but she stumbled in her hurry to get away, the few steps she took to back away cause her dizziness. Then, before she knew it the cold stone floor was at her back. Unable to speak, her eyes darted to look frantically at each face in the room. What was this, this burning feeling? It took over her body and she wanted to scream so bad, but her mouth felt like it was sewn shout.

Before she blacked out, Aria saw through blurry vision the First Enchanter clutching his hands together in an unheard prayer.

It was sudden when Aria's blindness turned into a hazy, dreamlike world where it was colored an early morning sunrise. She stood on an island that seeming to be floating in the clouds, there was complete silence in this world. No wind blew and no birds sang.

"So this…is the Fade?" the elf spoke only to herself, her voice seemed to fade away after the sentence was done. Glancing around for a way to go she breathed in as she found she could only go forward down an uneven path. It didn't take very long until something new came into Aria's sight, she squinted her eyes to examine the things since she was still quite the distance away from them. Whatever they were they looked like little pale blue balls of maybe magic. Wanting to get a better view, she stepped lightly on the path so as to not make a racket.

However, some way or another one of the balls of whispy magic spotted her, it sent a bolt of magic towards her and without thinking Aria stood still, unsure of what to do. The attack hit and was tough enough to knock the mage back a step. Gasping, a hand few to her chest were the spark of power connected. It had actually hurt! Worried, Aria now on the defensive lifted her arm and formed a whispy spark of magic, she shot it at the attacking whisp and watched it dissipate. Any sense of relief was cut short though as more of the strange Fade creatures appeared around her. Knowing what to do now she remembered her training as an apprentice and felt no more apprehension towards the creatures. She let her hand flow with familiar magic, the simplest of kinds and shot an arcane bolt at one enemy until it disappeared, quickly the elf moved to the side and away from a retaliation and shot two more creatures dead. Lowering her hand after the last was taken care of Aria pushed forward.

* * *

 

All sense of time seemed to be lost to Aria while in the Fade she didn't know if it had been hours or only minutes since she entered the hazy realm. She had not found any one creature yet that could be considered a demon. The dirt path she had been following led to a tiled floor as the young woman stared with interest at the ruin-like structures she passed while on her journey through the Fade. Farther down the path the earth and stone started to rise. The stone stretched out like claws and curled around making a makeshift tunnel.

"Tch…Someone else thrown to the wolves. As fresh and unprepared as ever I see." Said someone inside the tunnel. Aria froze suspiciously and raised a hand to brighten the hollow with a small burst of fire. The harsh light cast dramatic shadows around her as she looked for the owner of the voice.

"Who's there." She demanded with narrow eyes. There was a scuffling sound some feet in front of her and a rat scurried out from the shadows.

"Eh?" Aria's expression lightened up as curiousity took over, "You're a rat." She stated simply.

"And you're real original." The rodent scoffed, "It just isn't right that they do this, the Templars. Not you, me, anyone!"

Aria furrowed her brows.

"You mean the Harrowing?"

"Sigh, It's always the same…" he started again, "But it's not your fault. You're in the same boat I was aren't you?"

Aria nodded silently. Did this creature mean he was a mage? How could that be if she was the one taking the Harrowing right now?

"Um…By the way…Who are you?" she asked, knealing down to the rats' level in her ankle long uniform robes

"Oh," the creature said and let a flash of light envelope its body. The small flash grew until the shape of a man appeared in the place of the rat Aria was talking to. "Allow me to welcome you to the Fade, you can call me…well—Mouse." The shape-shifter introduced itself. Aria stood back up.

"You may call me Aria." She held out her hand to shake his, but Mouse stared blankly at her with no indication he understood the jester. Awkwardly she pulled her hand back to her side.

"So…Mouse, I take it that isn't your real name?"

"It's…fuzzy, the time before. They wake you up in the middle of the night and drag you to the Harrowing chamber and then…" Mouse's face contorted into one of disgust, "The Templars kill you if you take too long…you see. They figure you failed, and they don't want anything getting out."

"That's what they did to me, I think. I have no body to reclaim. And you don't have much time before you end up the same."

Aria thought about what he just told her. She knew full well she would die if she was possessed, but she didn't realize she had a time limit too, without a proper barring of time in this place she had no clue how long her body in her world has been unconscious. Worry shot through her like a rusty blade, it tugged and prickled at her skin and she gulped. But…would Irving really let the Knight-Commanders men kill her without knowing if she was truly possessed? Aria shook her head free of such grim thoughts. If she really was on a time limit like Mouse said then all the more reason to hurry to find this demon she had to kill.

"I don't think I would be killed so easily without being given a chance." She told Mouse determinedly.

"Mouse, don't you know where the demon is that I have to kill?"

The man furrowed his brows in thought.

"There's something here, contained, just for an apprentice like you. You have to face it and resist it, if you can. It should be just in the end of this tunnel." Mouse confirmed.

"But an apprentice is nothing more than a toy to such a powerful demon." He hesitated.

"Everything dies," Aria stated simply, "Even in the Fade." With that in mind, Aria turned back to the path she had yet to walk to get to the end. Mouse watched after her and after a moment, he too followed the apprentice closely behind.

"You would be a fool to attack everything you see with that sort of carefree mind set. What you face is powerful and cunning." He tried to reason with her.

"Yes…I've been told I can be quite the naive fool, but so be it. I rather be naïve to the danger than shaking in my robes." Aria commented as she continued full speed.

"I want to leave this place…it doesn't feel natural for me to be here…" she muttered under her breath, a strange sinking feeling had settled in her gut and it made her sick.

The exit was just before her now so she extinguished the spark of fire she had used as a light earlier and stepped out into the sunset light. Aria looked around her and noticed Mouse pointing over somewhere. She turned her head in that direction and stared in awe at a separated hollow on the floating island-like land. It was the familiar tiled ground with violent flames of fire becoming a half circle fence around the unguarded edges. So not only would the little elf fall to her death if she went to close to the edge, but she would get burned too.

"That's the arena I will fight in then?" she asked her companion, he nodded solemnly and lowered his arm to look at her reaction.

"Then this is it….Mouse…why not help me fight? I'm sure you can turn into something other than a rat, right?" Aria asked.

"Well…actually I can, but do you really think we can do this? Fight a demon I mean…and win?"

"You never know until you try, right?" she smiled. Comfortingly she grasped the mage's hand.

"We are two up against one demon, we out number it in power and people, so don't think it's useless ok?"

Mouse looked down at their joined hands, but Aria was unable to clearly see his expression. When he lifted up his head he nodded confidently at her.

"Alright Aria, I'll fight, and we will win." Aria released his hand and watch as the timid man shifted his form once more. He became a bear this time, bone-like spikes protruded out of his body and ugly fangs showed in his jaw. Beady black eyes looked up at Aria and she nodded is readiness. The two walked together down the path until they stopped in the middle of the arena.

With determination blazing in her earthen colored eyes Aria waited for anything to indicate a demon near. Then, there was a low, rumbling chuckle. Not even a yard away from her feet a bubbling pit of lava appeared as if out of nowhere. From it a blobby limb broke out of the melted rock and grabbed at the earth, another then popped out causing the heated liquid the splash around it. Aria had to take a step back before some landed on her clothes. Another chuckle and an angrily glowing blob dragged itself from the lava pit. The heat from its body was so strong that even at her distance Aria felt beads of sweat start to form on her forehead. A creature with no eyes that she could see, made completely of lava slithered ever closer to her petite frame.

"And so it comes to me at last." The creature spoke in its gravelly voice. "Soon I will see the land of the living with your eyes. You shall be mine, creature, body and soul."

"It's two against one, are you sure I'm worth it?" Aria challenged, standing her ground as the waves of heat of the demons body warmed her to her very soul.

"Amusing, have you not told her of our…arrangement, Mouse?" The demon growled. Aria turned to her partner for clarification. Mouse gave the demon a cross look and shook his head.

"We don't have an arrangement! Not anymore!"

"Aww, and after all those wonderful meals we have shared?" The creature questioned mockingly

"Now suddenly the mouse changes the rules?"

"Mouse…." Aria murmured in confusion.

"I'm not a mouse now. And soon I won't have to hide! I don't need to bargain with you!" There was a pause between Mouse and the demons conversation.

"We shall see…" the creature growled, Aria tensed as it stretched its arms into the air. Around her she could hear other things appearing from seemingly out of nowhere.

"Enjoy your last bits of freedom mage." The demon threatened. A ball of fire materialized in the creatures hand and he chucked it at the elf.

Thinking quickly, Aria jumped out of the way before it landed. A spark of magic was sent to her own palm as she quickly shot an arcane bolt at her enemy. Mouse was just behind the demon with his gory fangs in another monster. Preparing herself for another attack, Aria let the influence of the Fade allow her magic to surround her in a faintly glowing shield just as another fireball came crashing towards her, the shield of magic protected her from it so she charged at the lava monster with glowing hands. Thrusting one into its face she watched the creature crack. Her other hand shot another bolt through its body. In pain the creature bashed at her shield, throwing her back. The elf landed hard on the ground and dodged the thrust of another monster, this one no more than a black blob, similar in shape to the demon she faced off against.

Before the black blob could attack once more, the mage burst the being into flames with an explosion. Sparks of fire caught onto the other ones surrounding Mouse and he roared in triumph as his claws ripped one creature in half. Then, before Aria realized, a fireball grazed her shield. Swiftly, she turned back to the most important opponent and shot a bolt of power at it. The demon flew back and dived into a puddle of lava before popping out of the ground behind her. Scalding fingers snakes around her upper arm and she hissed in pain as her sleeve burned off. Yanking free, Aria scurried farther from the beast and shot a flurry of arcane blots. The demon screamed until its body could no longer hold itself together, hardened lava cracked and melted leaving yet another puddle of the violent liquid.

Holding onto her sore arm, still in shock she had been injured so badly, Aria turned to her partner how now stood over the collapsed corpses of the Shades. Mouse, turning back into a human male form ran over to her and held out a hand to help her get back to her feet.

"You did it, you actually did it!" He breathed as he pulled the elven mage to her feet.

"When you came, I hoped you would be able to…But I never thought any of you were worthy." Mouse spoke excitedly, his eyes wild as he stared at Aria up and down as if to size her up. The apprentice furrowed her brows uncomfortably at his words. That same feeling of an old dagger stabbing her appeared again and she took a step back from her companion. He didn't seem to notice and continued to talk.

"…It's all a little too easy." Aria eyes him suspiciously.

"That's because you are a true mage, one of the few!" Mouse reassured, his voice echoed.

"The others, they never had a chance. The Templars set them up to fail, like they tried with you. I regret my part in it, but you have shown me that there is hope. You can be so much more than you know." He led on with an inviting smile. Aria didn't like the way he smiled at her her.

"What exactly do you think you can get from me?" she asked taking another step back, this time, Mouse took two forward.

"You defeated a Rage demon, you completed your test. With time, you will be a master enchanter with no equal…And maybe there's hope in that for someone as small and as…forgotten as me. If you want help." There was a strange edge to his voice. Like he was saying she had to help him, she had no choice. But Aria knew better than to trust such a questionable suggestion.

"There may be a way for me to leave here, to get a foothold outside. You just need to want to let me in." Mouse proposed.

So that's what it was. Aria gave the creature before her a knowing look.

"I'm beginning to think that other demon wasn't my test." She revealed her suspicion. Her words caught the being in front of her by surprise.

"What! What are you…Of course it was! What else is here that could harm an apprentice of your potential?" Quickly as the surprise came, it vanished and Mouse crossed his arms. Surprise morphed into arrogant while Mouse spoke his next words his voice changed, it grew deeper, darker.

"Heh…You are a smart one."

"Simple killing is a warriors job. The real dangers of the Fade are preconceptions, careless trust…pride." there was a pause in his speech and something in Mouses' shape began to change. Aria could only watch helplessly as Mouses shadow loomed over her every second it grew.

"Keep your wits about you mage. True test never end."

The was a flash of light, Aria threw her hands to shield her face and before she knew it, the demon she knew as 'Mouse' was gone. Looking forlornly in the spot he just was dizziness took over her body and that strange burning sensation was back again. Falling to the ground Aria's world once again turned black.


	2. The Truth

Bright tendrils of sunlight seeped through the small windows set way above the heads of mages. The faint chirp of small birds carried into the room from outside. One body persistently lay in bed despite the peaceful morning wake up, but this one person want nothing to do with the dawn of a new day. Her head pounded as if her head was the heel to an Ogre's shoe and her brain refused to give strength to her eyelids to open them. One arm also lay delicately above the thin blankets with the sleeve rolled up. Clean bandages wrapped the upper arm of the resting mage.

"Aria…Aria, are you alright?" someone from behind her asked in a concerned manor. Aria groaned, she just wanted to sleep the day away. But the voice she recognized as Jowans' and she knew the man was probably dying to know what exactly happened. Taking a deep, comforting breath one last time, she opened round eyes to the apprentice dormitories. Funny, she doesn't remember walking back here after the Harrowing. Blinking into awareness, Aria used her one good arm to help her sit up. Actually…she doesn't even remember waking up after completing the Harrowing.

"Ugh….Jowan?" the elf whispered hoarsely, she stayed in the bed, untrusting of the strength of her numb legs. Looking up at her friend she smiled up at his relieved expression, he sighed.

"Ah, I'm glad you're alright. They carried you in this morning. I didn't even realize you'd been gone all night. I've heard so much about apprentices who never come back from the Harrowing. Is it really that dangerous? What was is like?" the man fretted over her. Aria grimaced and looked away from Jowan silently, the pain of remembrance was finally clearing up and it made her want to scream in agony.

"Jowan please…you're my friend, don't ask me this, You know I can't." And this was true, all mage's are told the events of the Harrowing must be kept secret, and now she knew why. However, Jown decided to ignore all evident pain in the younger mage's voice and push for an answer, he really wanted to know.

"I know I'm not supposed to know…but we're friends. Just a little hint, and I'll stop asking, I promise!"

Aria sighed and wished he would shut up.

"Fine…I…I had to do into the Fade." There was a pause.

"Really? That's it?" the man asked seeming unimpressed. Stupid Jowan…

"No…I had to fight a demon." She finished and unconsciously looked at her burned arm. Jowan's face dropped slightly and he furrowed his brows.

"That…makes sense. They want to see if you can resist a demon and stop yourself from becoming an abomination. Tsk, now you get to move into the nice mages quarters upstairs. While I'm stuck here and I don't know when they'll call me for my Harrowing." He complained. Aria couldn't stay annoyed with him, she give him a tired smile on pink lips.

"Don't worry Jowan, I bet they'll call for you any day now." She reassured.

"But I've been here longer than you have…Sometimes I think they just don't want to test me."

"What do you mean?" Aria questioned.

"There's been a rumor that I might be made tranquil, I'll never be able to take the Harrowing then, or use mage ever again. It's either the Harrowing, the Right of Tranquility…or you die. That's what happens." Jowan pointed out in a panic.

"I don't want to be like Owhain, cut off from my dreams, and he's so cold, emotionless. It's like he's dead!"

"Calm down, calm down Jowan. I think you're just getting worked up for nothing. It just a rumor you heard anyways." The little elf reached out to touch her friends' arm soothingly. The human sighed.

"The Right isn't just for mages they think are too weak you know, it's also to control those they think are too…dangerous as mages…Um, anyways, I shouldn't waste your time with this. I was supposed to tell you to see Irving as soon as you woke up."

The elf nodded with one last smiled towards her friend.

"Alright, I'll go there immediately."

"You'd better not keep him waiting. We can speak later." With that, he bid Aria good bye.

Left alone in the room once more she was about to get up when she notice a new robe laying folded neatly on the edge of the bed. It was a golden colored top with a bluish-grey skirt; her intricate belt was leather with gold colored fabric. Deciding to wear this new robe, Aria undressed carefully, avoiding a much contact with her bandage as possible.

Through the nearby mirror, the girls of the room used Aria studied herself to get a feel of the new garment. The top was warm and plush, the elf found she had a liking for things that kept her warm since she got so easily cold in the tower and the fabric was soft against her pale skin. Happy with the outcome she tidied up her chin length earthen brown hair and made her way to the round hall.

* * *

 

Past the library and small Chantry worship area Aria made her way up the stairs and to the next floor where the mages who passed the Harrowing slept, it was the same floor that held First Enchanter Irvings' office has well. Down another hall she spotted the open double doors to the office and silently walked inside. Inside she overheard the current conversation. Irving and a man in armor she had never seen before were listening intently as the Knight-Commander Greagoir spoke about having enough of something at 'Ostagar'. Irving huffed at something Greagoir said.

"Since when have you felt such kinship with the mages Greagoir? Or are you afraid to let the mage's out of the Chantries supervision where they can actually use their Maker given powers." the older man challenged.

"How dare you—" Before the argument between the two men could escalate, the stranger intervened to make her presence known.

"Irving, someone is here to see you." He said and indicated towards Aria, she gave a thankful nod and walked up to the older mage.

"You wanted to see me?" she asked.

"ah, well if it isn't our new sister in the Circle, come child." His aged voice praised beckoning her closer as the stranger walked up next to the enchanter.

"This is she?" he ask.

"Yes."

The Knight-Commander, obviously forgotten, cleared his throat and excused himself, if not before reminding the two men they will continue to talk about some matter at a later time.

"Er ah…yes…Well, where was I? Oh yes, This is Duncan, of the Grey Wardens." Irving introduced Duncan. Aria turned to him and looked up to examine the Grey Warden. He wasn't an old man, but he wasn't too young either. His thick brown hair was pulled back with but a few strands in his face with a beard. The brown eyes of Duncan's that shown warmth and welcome stared at Aria.

"It's nice to meet you, Duncan." Aria greeting.

"Likewise." He said back politely.

"You've heard about the war brewing in the south I expect?" Irving questioned the young mage.

"I haven't heard much, just bit and pieces here and there."

"Duncan is here to recruit mage's for the King's army in Ostagar." He informed.

"Ok…but what does this have to do with me?"

It was then Duncan spoke. "With the Darkspawn invading we need all the help we can get, especially from the Circle. A mage's mage is very effective over a large group of Darkspawn making you a necessity; I fear that if we don't push them back we may see another Blight."

Irving chuckled.

"Duncan you worry the girl, talking about Blights and Darkspawn," indeed it did worry her, the only battle experience she has had was in her Harrowing and she barely escaped that alive. "this is supposed to by a happy day for her, she has passed the Harrowing and her phylactery has been sent, she is now a full mage of the magi."

Duncan sighed. "We live in troubled times, my friend."

"Now then, you may do as you like today dear girl, but before you go I want to give to you your official Circle staff and a ring with the Ferelden's Circle of Magi insignia on it." The First Enchanter held out the items and Aria happily took them.

"Thank you First Enchanter!" gratefully, the elf impatiently set the ring on her finger and watched it catch the candlelight. Then she took the staff from the older mage gently. It wasn't a fancy staff, not by a long shot, the metal it was made of was cheap and it was of simple design.

"Seeing as we have finished talking, I will be in my room if I am needed." Duncan spoke up and readied himself to leave.

"I see, then please escort him back to his room Aria."

The two walked in comfortable silence as Aria lead the Grey Warden down the curved hall. They passed about three doors when a Templar standing guard spotted Aria.

"That would be my room, thank you." Duncan said walking inside to leave her in the hall with the guard. Looking up at him she recognized him as Cullen. Cullen was one of the younger Templars, and although he has never openly showed her any hostility, he was kind of….weird?

Continuing to stare the poor boy down without a word she noticed made him fidgety.

"Oh…uh-ahhh-I uh Hello, I'm glad to see your Harrowing went smoothly." Cullen finally stuttered out.

"Hello Cullen." The mage greeted with a small smile. Although she rarely talked to the young man every time they passed each other in the hall Cullen had a strange habit of stumbling over things. Maybe he was easily distracted? Now was no different as she watched in mild amusement as his cheeks turned a delightful shade of pink. He turned away from her and sheepishly scratched the back of his head.

"T-They pick me to uh if well you turned into an abomination…" the Templar admitted suddenly.

"That's right, I saw you before I blacked out, you looked pale that time, were you sick?" she asked. The guard threw up his hands in his defense.

"Er no-no, by all means I was perfectly healthy it's just…You looked in pain! And um about that killing blow thing, it's nothing personal, I swear! I- I'm just glad your alright you know?" He tried to explain himself.

A giggle couldn't help but leave her lips as the Templar seemed frantic, his cheeks darkened in shade and his eyes locked with hers at the sound of her soft laugh. He went silent as if to take in every sound, never letting her petite form leave his sight.

Aria apologized for the laugh thinking she offended him, it was rare she laughed at all really. Nothing of much amusement when you are a bird in a dark cage, but the earnestness of the Templar, Cullen, was something she had to respect for not many Templars would openly show honest concern for the creatures they kept imprisoned here and away from the fearful people on the outside.

"Anyways, I should get going, I don't want to be a distraction to you if you are on duty." She spoke to Cullen, who snapped out of his trance. Turning her back to him he called out to her, his hand finding her uninjured arm.

"Ah W-Wait, I don't find you distracting, I mean you are—but uh I mean…you can uh talk to me any time! Yes, maybe we can talk again another time…" he pleaded with a fretful smile. Cullen was kind she would admit, but she, like all other mages felt even the smallest pinch of discomfort around him just because of everything he and his order stood for. So maybe he wanted to be friends, maybe that's why he was so kind. But Aria couldn't do it, for he would kill her with one order if it was to follow his Makers' will, and a man who followed orders simply because of something like religion was someone Aria just couldn't trust as a friend.

"Thanks Cullen…but I don't know…" she waited for him to let go of her arm, and once more she told him good bye and left.

Without notice the door to the Grey Wardens room was cracked open inches enough for the man called Duncen to over hear the exchange.

* * *

 

"Aria, there you are." Jowan joined up with the elf as she walked down the hall. "So are you done talking with Irving? If you are, I need to talk to you…now." The was something strange in the way he looked at her, his eyes darted from left to right as if to make sure they were the only two in the hallway. Aria furrowed her brow and looked up at him.

"What's wrong Jowan?" she asked, the human mage put his finger over her mouth for silence. Grabbing her wrist, Jowan lead her down the hall and to a flight of stairs.

"Follow me, I need to speak with you in a place with no one around."

"Jowan…you're starting to worry me." Aria whispered as the ran down the flight of stairs without a thought. "What's going on?"

Jowan refused to answer.

Arriving on the floor where the apprentice mages trained the silent two swiftly made their way to a shadowed corner of the worship room. There she didn't notice until they stopped that another human, a woman this time stood nervously, hidden by the low candlelight. Jowan let go of Aria and embraced this person. Letting her eyes adjust to the lack of light Aria began to recognize her, she was a pretty lady with fiery orange hair that framed doe-like features. Her eyes where round and a warm amber color while her lips were plump, painted with a flattering passionate glossy red. She dressed in the flowing cream-colored robes of a sister in training for the Chantry, however it was evident that the woman was endowed with a very suggestive figure that no matter how modestly she dressed it still had the smallest flare of seduction.

"Jowan…." Aria warned under her breath warily. It was then she remembered a talk they once had at dinner several months back. Jowan had walked up to her with an unusually blissful look on his face. After much priying he had admitted to the younger girl he had met a ver y lovely woman. The two had instantly clicked and they had started to meet with each other in their free time.

However, at the time Aria had just thought the woman was maybe another apprentice, or a full mage. This thought was completely blown away by her friends next words.

"A while back I had told you I met a uh…girl…Well, this is Lily." He introduced the woman. Lily stood close to Jowan with her arms wrapped around him. Her pink cheeks clearly told the elf that she was head over heels for the apprentice. And while that may be all well and good in their own little word, it was an entirely different matter in the real world.

The little mage calmly took a deep breath without a word and exhaled.

"You can't be serious…." She sighed with a hand over her mouth in concern.

"You both now as well as I a sister of the Chantry is forbidden to give her body to anyone but the Maker…and to you, a mage no less. What if the Templar's find out." Aria seethed at their stupidity, but by all means did she downright refuse to acknowledge the happy couple. She truly was happy Jowan had found someone he so deeply cared for.

"So you see why we must keep this matter a secret." Lily murmured softly.

"You both are crazy…" the elf crossed her arms, but she stayed with the two to hear what they had to say.

"Yes, well, I'm happy you don't disapprove…but this wasn't all I wanted to discuss. Remember when I told you I didn't think they wanted to give me my Harrowing? Well I know why, they…they're going to make me Tranquil!" Jowans voice revealed. His hand gripped Lily's in fear of the thought.

"Oh Jowa—"

"They'll take everything that I am away from me, my dreams, hopes, fears, my love for Lily!" his voice interrupted the elf, growing louder in stress.

"….They'll extinguish my humanity…" he cried.

And in Aria, a piece of her heart cracked. When the elven mage was first brought to the Circle she was no more than the five year old child of two elven servants that worked for a spoiled Bann's wife. Jowan had taken it upon himself at the time to care for the her like an older brother when he too was still a child inside. He protected the little elf from the older mage children and from the cruel eyes of the imposing Templars. He was everything to her in the Circle and possibly the only one she really cared for in her life. If Jowan was made Tranquil, there would be no more talks, no more laughs or reassuring whispers when a Templar takes it upon himself to take his anger out on them.

Tears welled up in Aria's eyes, she didn't even care how he got the information, she wanted to save him. She wanted to keep her brother 'alive'.

"Jowan…how?"

"That rumor going around, I've been hearing more and more. Not thirty minutes ago I overheard some Templars talking about how I could be a Bloodmage."

It was then the elf's heart stopped. The use of blood magic was a serious accusation among any Circle. Blood magic was forbidden to be used and any proof of one being a Bloodmage was punishable by death. The dark magic was a twisted power drawn out from using blood from the caster as well as the victims to summon vicious demons to do their bidding. But the demons are cunning, they always get their ways which usually leads to the users possession.

"That's way it just isn't safe for me here anymore Aria. I need to escape, Lily and I both. And I want to ask for your help in making that possible."


	3. The Sad Truth & New Recruit

Three pairs of footsteps ran down the stone hall, the cry of their enemy close behind. Short brown hair brushed past fierce earthen orbs as flames erupted from a womans palms. The brutal flames sent a trail of heat down the hall and caught her enemy on fire as the other two ran ahead.

"Aria, hurry!" the only man in the group howled as he pushed his love farther ahead. The metal staff the one called Aria had strapped to her back came free as the woman jumped out of the way of yet another skeleton creature. The creatures sword bared down on her, but thinking quickly she threw the metal staff out in front of her just in time. The strength of the cursed bones was hard to deal with. A bead of sweat ran down her flushed cheek. Chancing a glance back at her companions she saw her friend stop in his tracks, waiting for her.

"Go, Jowan! I can take care of myself; you and Lily get out of here!"

Another moment later the man nodded his head sternly and set off to catch up with the red headed woman.

With her attention back on her enemy the elf cried in frustration as she sent a powerful blast of magic she had gathered in her mind and blasted it forward. It knocked her opponent back as it fell to its knees stunned. A quick strike of her staff and the skeleton shattered into dust. Standing up, Aria whipped away the sweat from her brow with her sleeve.

Funny how today was supposed to be a time of celebration for her. She had become an official mage of the Circle of Magi, yet here she was. Deep under the Circle in a dank hall filled with cursed skeleton busting her closest friend and his lover out of their lives of bondage.

When this was over and if they all survived this escape, Aria was sure as hell never letting the older man convince her to do something as crazy as this ever again.

* * *

 

**Hours Earlier**

"You want me to what?" Hissed the elf completely caught off guard with her friends' request.

When Aria was still a child in the Circle she remembered every night Jowan would take her to the towers library and pick out a book to read to her to help her fall asleep. This was during the time she had started to have terrible nightmares about the Templars. She remembered the tales he chose to read to her were always about fantastic hero's in time going through and succeeding to accomplish nearly impossible odds. One story she remembered, though a little sketchy was in the end, a tragedy. Facing similar problems as Jowan and his lover Lily, the hero in the story was a mage planning an escape from a tower in some far off land with their beloved. They had fought tooth and nail through evil Templars and loyal mages. Then, when they finally reached the grass from outside the tower gates were they shot down dead. In the end, they dead together, holding hands without a regret because they had accomplished what they wanted to do.

Aria couldn't bear the thought of the same thing happening to Jowan, for while he was a smart man, he was an idealist. While Aria just couldn't figure a way he could really do such a thing.

"Please, Aria, Lily and I have been planning this for weeks. All we need to do is destroy my phylactery so no one can track me after we've escaped. The thing is, one of the tools we need is above my level, I can't get to it because I'm an apprentice. But you, you can!"

"Aria, please, Jowan is your friend, just give us your word you will keep this secret and help us." Lily pleaded with clasped hands. She shook her head, giving up.

"Alright…because this is you Jowan, I would help you with anything. You have my word, just tell me what to do." The two before her smiled wide, Jowan grabbed the elf and wrapped his arms around her in a thankful hug.

"Aria, thank the Maker you are so kind to me…" her sighed a breath of relief that rustled her mused hair. Aria smiled and pat his back comfortingly.

"You've cared for me for as long as I can remember, to me you are my family, and family helps each other out no matter how insane the problem is."

Lily watched the two from the side happily before casting a glance at the door to check if anyone was coming. With the coast still clear she cleared her throat to get the mage's attention.

"Ok, I can get us into the repository, but there is a problem," Lily began her explanation softly. "There are two locks on the phylactery chamber door. The First Enchanter and Knight-Commander each hold one key, but it is still just a door and there is enough power in this place to destroy all of Ferelden."

"I've seen something called a Rod of Fire that could melt through anything, you can get one from the storage room on the third will not release such a thing to apprentices, and that is where you come in." Jowan murmured.

"So I just have to get the rod and we'll be set?" Aria confirmed. The two nodded.

"Alright, I'll see what I can do."

* * *

 

The mage's in charge of the storage room didn't just hand out Rods of Fire willy-nilly, this Aria knew. There was an annoying bit of paperwork to be filled out and signed by the on to receive the magical device, then it was to be signed by a senior enchanter for verification. She didn't exactly know any of the senior enchanters. And as the mage walked through the hall she thought of the two mages that have already refused to sign the verification form. Biting her bottom lip she racked her mind for some kind of solution.

It was then, as she passed by an open door she heard a woman curse. Curiously, Aria turned back to peak her head through to spot middle aged woman is the crimson red robes of a Senior Enchanter. She stood over a table while examining a stack of papers with a troubled expression. Bent on taking the chance with the distracted mage, Aria scampered into the room to stand across from the woman as she goes about her thoughts.

"Um…are you having difficulties with something?" she asked the mage, effectively snapping her out of her thoughts. Looking up to face the elf she seemed nervous.

"Er, no…I-I'm just taking stock is all." She tried to convince, without success. Raising a brow, Aria pointed a thin finger to the large, locked doors to their side.

"Then wouldn't you be in the stock room?"

"Ok, look, I was only appointed Senior Enchanter no more than a fort night ago. But here I've gone and gotten the caves we store food and other valuable items infested with spiders the size of a small cow!" the mage cried in frustration.

"I've no clue how to handle this, I'm busy enough as it is with that Grey Warden here looking for mages to take to Ostagar."

An idea struck the elf then and she smiled up at the woman, a mischievous look in her eyes.

"Then how about this, if I help you with you infestation problem, would you sign this paper for me?" The Senior Enchanter took the paper and looked it over, a moment later she nodded.

"Yes, of course!"

Twenty minutes later, an exhausted Aria cracked open the doors of the store room. Oh how she loathed spiders…

* * *

 

Later that evening, after Aria met up with Jowan and Lily to report she succeeded in getting the Rod of Fire, they decided to meet up during dinner, were most of the Templars would be in the mess hall to guard the tightly packed bunch of magic users.

Quickly, but with as little noise as possible the three quickly walked to the ground floor of the tower. Neither of the three exchanged a word, no was the most important time, they couldn't waste it on idle chatter. Walking up to the engraved doors, Aria went first and peaked through to see if there were guards posted in the basement.

In the small room, where there was only a door at the other end the elf waved her companions over. As they shuffled into the empty space, she wondered if Jowan and Lily's heart was beating as fast as hers. Aria didn't want to admit she was nervous about this to them, what they needed right now was the hope that they would make it to feedom. She didn't want to ruin it with her negative personality.

Lily stepped up to the door.

"The Chantry calls this the 'Victims Door'." Lily breathed.

"Sounds violent." Aria pointed out offhandedly. "So how do we unlock it?"

"The door can only be opened by a Templar and mage together, the Chantry provides a password, then the mage must touch the door with manna in order for the wards sealing the door to become undone." The red haired initiate explained.

"Wait…Jowan's just as much mage as I am, so why can't he do it?"

"It…has to be a mage that has gone through the Harrowing…." Lily mumbled sheepishly. "Let's just focus here, I will speak the password: 'Sword of the Maker, Tears of the Fade'."

There was a sound of something passing by and markings etched across the door glowed pale blue light. Aria took this as her signal and walked up to the door. She set the tips of her fingers to its rough stone surface and raised her brows in surprise to discover the door was warn to the touch. Setting her palm down to lay her hand flat she let the pale blue-purple of arcane manna leave her and sent a weak pulse of magic throughout the obstruction. The magic shown was like ripples through a calm body of water and gently passed through, a moment later there was a click and the door pushed itself opened to let the three pass.

Through the next door was a longer hall that turned to the right. Lily lead the way to the door just in front of them and came to a halt.

"Ok…this is the door to the phlyactory." Lily confirmed.

Excitedly, Jowan turned to Aria. "Hurry, use the rod!"

"Don't rush me, I'm doing this for you." She waved him off and bent down to lift up her robes. There she had the Rod safely tucked inside her boot until it was needed. With rod in hand, Aria pointed it towards the locks on the door. She waited a good three minutes before she scowled in confusion.

Once more she poured her manna into the rod to put it to work. But nothing happened.

"What's going on?" she whispered. "The rod isn't working?"

"It isn't just the rod," Jowan gasped. "None of my magic works in this room!"

"Oh, no…" Lily gasped. Her face stricken with shock. "How could I have been so stupid to believe they would only use a lock and key to protect such an important room! Look, these runes inscribed in the door, they ward off magic and make in ineffective."

Aria tsk-ed in response to the sudden discovery, they couldn't go back now. Looking down the hall to spot another door. Walking down the hall to it she discovered it to be unlocked.

"Why not see if we can find a way through here?" she spoke up. The other two turned to her.

"Well, it's better than going back." They agreed. The two walked past a suit of armor that decorated the otherwise barren hall. The elf's sharp eyes noticed the twitch of a metal clad finger. Strange? Bodies of empty armor don't twitch, right? A gasp left her lips.

"Both of you, move out of the way!" She cried, fire engulfed her hand and she shot it behind her companions. Jowan and Lily dived for the floor just as the fireball flew by. Looking back, Jowan gave a start as a sword was thrust downwards, the magic causing just minimal damage to the armor. Roling on the ground the mage faced the opponent and let cold wisps of ice freeze around the feet, sealing the armors movements. Lily then unsheathed a short sword he had hidden under her dress to penetrate the creatures body, effectively killing it.

The three breathed deeply as they helped each other back to their feet. The moving armor had been unexpected, but the thought of no form of security had never reached their thoughts.

"What in flaming hell was that?!" Jowan asked, throwing his arms in the air for effect. Aria looked from the corpse to him and shrugged nonchalantly.

"It's dead now, but we should be on guard in case his friend show up. Let's just hurry and find another entrance to the phylactery." The elf commented as she started towards the next room calmly.

"Maker's breath Aria, you adapt to your surroundings way too quickly." The man sighed. Lily's sweet giggle erupted from behind the two and they turned to look her way.

"The two of you are so close aren't you? I'm almost jealous."

"Oh Lily~" Jowan sighed happily as he couldn't help but hug her tight. Aria felt her cheeks heat up and waved her unused staff between the two.

"Ok, ok, ok…let's get out of here before the two of you need a room!"

Turning the corner the mage narrowed her eyes, her companions did the same as Jowan gripped his own staff and Lily held up her dagger. The three looked up towards the stairs as a group of moving armor charged towards them with swords drawn. Looks like they would have to fight for the phylactery.

* * *

 

Through the halls and corridors of the underground labyrinth, passed dust covered room and more enemies. The three escape artists found themselves deeper into the basement, the temperature had dropped lower and lower until each breath released left a puff of condensation. A thin layer of fog curled around their feet as the short clicks of their heels became the only sound echoing throughout the tunnels.

It has been hours since the three had come down here in search of a second entrance to the room that stored the mage's blood viles. By now the towers residence should be sound asleep, hopefully, no one has noticed either of the peoples' absence. The smallest in the group set a hand on the nearest wall and leaned tiredly on it. Aria had never fought so many opponents before, she was exhausted and unused to this. Her mind reeled with strange thoughts.

Jowan had noticed he couldn't hear her footsteps anymore and backtracked to see if the girl was alright.

"Aria?"

Looking up, the elf smiled weakly. "Sorry…I just need to catch my breath, I've never done something like this before. And I can't tell whether the adrenaline is wearing off or if I'm sick with worry about the thought of being caught." She admitted. A hand found its way to her small back. Aria, being skinny, even for an elf felt the humans large hands over her spin as he rubbed gently. It was comforting, she just wished it was under different circumstances.

"I'm so sorry Aria, I dragged you into this. Now you're as likely to be killed as I am if we're caught."

She shook her head. "I told you before Jowan…you're family, I'd do anything to make you happy." Finding a second wind then, she straightened up and gave him a determined look.

"I'm ready, lets finish this."

What was she thinking letting her fear grip her like this? Her friend needed her, and no matter the consequences, what was done is done and she was now an accomplice. The little elf wouldn't have it any other way.

Making progress, it was Lily first who came upon the next door at the end of the corridor. Like the rest it was unlocked so the initiate easily pushed it open. Inside torches of fire were lit as if on cue, the room illuminated it bright red-orange light while the faint shadows danced along with the flames. At first they thought maybe someone was inside, but upon further inspection they were the only ones. Aria couldn't help but gawk at the selves of literature that lined the walls of the room, tables and shelves were lined with knickknacks and clearly magical relics she had never seen before in her studies. Looking up in curiosity she found that ancient tapestries hung with care, breathtaking stories drawn out by stunning embroider, unique to each cloth.

Aria would admit, she loved mysteries, she loved the unknown. The craving she got, to learn about something others rather leave very well alone sent waves of pleasure through her body. She liked to seek the truth of matters, because ignorance and fear was no excuse to keep things away is what she believed. Mage's like she and Jowan were similar to these hidden treasures and mysteries she loved so much. Both her kept away from the world, stories created and told to keep the curious at bay and the fearful never curious about understanding. She hated such a way of thinking, and so, this room was like her own personal heaven.

The three of them split around the room in search of another exit, but in all honesty, the elven mage was far too distracted to care about leaving. Picking up a hand sized gem she held it up to the fires light and watched as shots of royal blue and purple colored light die the room with dots as pretty as stars. Brown orbs widened in child-like wonder at discovering something new. Something so beautiful, why was it hidden away like some horrible secret?

"Oh Lily, Jowan…this place is wonderful. Lily poked her head between a self of odd relics to see what the mage was gasping about. Her fiery eyebrows shot up and she waved her hands in a panic.

"Hey, put that down, don't touch anything in here! Who knows what it will do, everything in this room is some kind of forbidden magical artifact and I don't want something freaky to follow us." She lectured the young woman. Aria gave her a skeptical look and refused to set the gem down, it was just so precious; something that made such pure stars on the walls couldn't be evil. She waited until Lily turned her back to her that she glanced around to make sure Jowan wouldn't see, and silently slipped the relic into a pouch attached to her robes' belt. If such a pretty thing was trapped down here she was sure no one would notice, or even miss it if it disappeared.

"Oh hey, guys, I think I found something we could use as an exit." Jowan spoke up. Starting for a moment at the volume of his voice, Aria calmed down enough to give her pouch a reassuring pat before passing a statue of a woman before coming to join Lily and Jowan by a marble statue of a Mabari hound. She couldn't help but notice the chin held high in an almost regal manor, what a proud statue, is what she thought. But it wasn't the hound statue that the only man in the group pointed at, it was a worn wall that was cracked and crumbling.

"This wall seems so old it looks about to crumble. Maybe if we attack it we can gain a way out." He suggested.

"But none of my fire element spells are powerful enough to break a stone wall, official mage status be damned." Aria pointed out. Lily cleared her throat to catch the mage's attention.

"While I don't approve of touching these Tevintor relics in this room, I should point out that this statue can help us with that little problem."

"How so?"

"Ah, I've seen pictures of things like this, they amplify magic that's cast into them." Jowan spoke up. "I bet we could use this to break into the phylactery chamber."

"Hmm, well I suppose we could try with the Rod of Fire?" Aria thought out loud and removed it from her boot.

"Ok…since I don't have a clue as to how powerful this will become, I suggest you stay behind me." She took a breath and set the tip of the rod against the back of the Mabari statues head. Concentrating her manna into the rod there was a minuet vibration in her hand before a burst of hot fire came out of the statues mouth like a flamethrower and pummeled through the decaying stone. There was the sound of crumbling debris, when the flames stopped a breeze of frigid air whispered across the mage's face. Her brown lock shifted in the breeze as calm as a stream. What stood before them was a secret entrance, Jowan ran forward with a grin so big his white teeth flashed.

"This is it, this is the phylactery chamber!"

"Ah, wait Jowan, don't run there might be—"

A sudden shriek interrupted the girl and she sighed. Grabbing her staff, she ran inside in time to see a ghostly figure locked in a stalemate with Jowan as more empty, moving armor and animated skeletons surrounded Lily. Aria shook her head at her friends impatience and slammed the end of her staff on the ground harshly. The opponents faced her as she eyed them calmly and without second thought send a mind blast of unseen manna through the enemies, paralyzing them all.

Let the fight begin.

* * *

 

With the final blow being struck, the metal armors fell to the stone floor with a cacophony of clangs and bangs. Lily helped her love to his feet as Aria shivered in the chilled air, she did not like cold places one bit.

"We must find your phylactery." Lily reminded them.

"Where would it even be in this place?" the female mage murmured under her breath and glanced around at random. Jowan and Lily searched too as Aria made her way up the small flight of stairs and spotted a rack of viles.

"I found the phylacteries." She reported and waited for the other two to make their way up the stairs. Jowan scanned through the different labeled ones.

"Let's see…Jowan, Jowan…ah, here it is." The mage lifted the glass up to his eyes and studied his trapped blood.

"…I can't believe this tiny vile stands between me and freedom!" the man gazed in amazement. "So fragile…so easy to be just rid of it, to end its hold over me."

Then there was the sound of breaking glass, Jowans blood, free from its hold splattered to the rug on the floor. Droplets of dark burgundy blood stain the ends of his apprentice robes. Without a word Aria watched, the knot in her throat loosening in finally accomplishing part one of their goal.

Jowan was free.

"Come on, we're done here and such leave." He murmured in relief.

* * *

 

**Present Time**

"Aria, hurry!" the only man in the group howled as he pushed his love farther ahead. The metal staff the elven mage had strapped to her back came free as the woman jumped out of the way of yet another skeleton creature. The creatures sword bared down on her, but thinking quickly she threw the metal staff out in front of her just in time. The strength of the cursed bones was hard to deal with. A bead of sweat ran down her flushed cheek. Chancing a glance back at her companions she saw her friend stop in his tracks, waiting for her.

"Go, Jowan! I can take care of myself; you and Lily get out of here!"

Another moment later the man nodded his head sternly and set off to catch up with the red headed woman.

With her attention back on her enemy the elf cried in frustration as she sent a powerful blast of magic she had gathered in her mind and blasted it forward. It knocked her opponent back as it fell to its knees stunned. A quick strike of her staff and the skeleton shattered into dust. Standing up, Aria whipped away the sweat from her brow with her sleeve. Setting her weapon on her back once more, the mage quickened her pace to catch up with her partners in crime. The door she could only assume lead to the outside world closing in on them. Aria wondered what it was like to be bathed in the moonlight then, was is as serine or wistful as described in stories? What about sunlight, would it feel warm, make one feel alive? Jowan and Lily pushed open the doors to freedom, with an excited smile on Aria's she ran forward.

Abruptly, the three came to a halt. The smile faded from her features as she realized they were back in the tower, in the room they started in. In the heat of excitement she hadn't even looked at her surroundings to realize they had gone in one giant circle.

Heavy footsteps then made their presence know and a cold chill ran down Aria's spin as Knight-Commander Greagoir and Frist Enchanter Irving walked out of the shadows with a group of Templars. Her face paled.

"So what you said was true." Gregoir spoke to Irving as they stopped, surrounding the three. She gulped.

"This…looks bad…"

"G-Greagoir?" Lily gasped in horror.

"An initiate conspiring with a Bloodmage, I'm disappointed Lily." Greagoir sneered and walked up to the frightened woman.

"She seems shocked and fully in control of her own mind. Not a thrall of the Bloodmage then…" the commander spoke to Irving.

"The initiate has betrayed us, the Chantry will not let this go unpunished." Then his cold glare turned to Aria and she felt frozen in place, unable to move, or even breath.

"And this one, fully a mage and already flouting the rules of the Circle."

Though she knew this was true, the way the man said it caused her to flinch unconsciously. Irving shook his head, his disappointment clear in his coal black eyes.

"I am disappointed in you, you could have told me what you knew of this plan…and you didn't."

Of course she wouldn't, Jowan had asked her for help, she wouldn't abandon her friend because of a rumor. Jowan growled, his face contorted in rage.

"You don't care about mages!" He accused, "You just bow to the Chantries every whim!"

Oh Jowan you dolt, don't do this! Causing a fight while outnumbered in both bodies and power was foolish!

"Jowan…don't make this worse!" she hissed.

"Enough, as Knight-Commander of the Templars here assembled I sentence this Bloodmage to death, and this initiate has scorned the Chantry and her vows…take her to Aeonar." Greagoir demanded.

Lily stepped back in disbelief. "T-The mages prison,?! No, please, not there!" she begged as the Templars closed in on her. Jowan, consumed by rage pulled out a previously concealed dagger.

"No, I won't let you touch her!"

Aria watched in horror as her dear friend drove the blade into his hand. As if in slow motion the blood spilled and splattered into the air, controlled by this man's' raging emotions. The elf stood in shock and felt something warm hit her face, her hand shook.

This couldn't be happening..Jowan would never…

A shacking hand touched her cheek, looking down at her palm with wide eyes her disbelief grew as she watched the crimson blood seep between her fingers.

No!

The rumors, they were only rumors!

No!

Jowan was a reckless fool at times, but he knew never to delve into something as grotesque as blood magic, right?

No!

An image of the Jowan she knew as her closest friend became dark against the form she saw now, right in front of her. The man who taught her to grow up honest, to always help her friends stood before her with his own blood staining his clothes as he let his blood overwhelm the Templars about to grab Lily. This man…no, this monster before her was not her friend. This was not the Jowan she remembered.

"N-No…." her voice quivered. She watched as all the people, mage and Templar alike crashed to the ground. Jowan straightened up and turned towards Lily to check her condition, Aria too turned to see what the woman's reaction was to such a reveal.

The pretty woman stepped away from the man as if in denial. But her eyes were wide, see had seen it all, and she was disgusted.

"By the gods…Blood magic." She spat, then, helplessly she cried. "How could you? You said you'd never-"

"I-I just dabbled, I thought it would make me a better mage!" he tried to explain.

"Blood magic is evil Jowan, it corrupts people, changes them." She whispered horrified.

"I'm going to give it up-all magic! I just wanted to be with you Lily, please come with me!" this Bloodmage begged. But there was no trace of love left in Lily's eyes, only betrayal.

"I trusted you, I was ready to sacrifice everything for you…" she cried, "I don't know who you are Bloodmage, stay away from me."

Jowan's shoulders dropped in sorrow, but there was a shutter as a sob broke out of his mouth. He turned to Aria, a hand outstretched. But all she could do was stare at it in pain. She looked up at him with could tears streaming down her face. Despite everything she wanted to say on the tip of her tongue, the pain of finding out her trust was ripped away from her choked her words.

"….No….no…." was the only word she found strength for. Even then he had to strain his ears for the impossibly tiny sound. She watched his adams apple choke on a sob. Slowly, he took a step away from the women, a tear down each eye for the two of them, until without another word he ran away.

The two women stood there together, broken and confused. As they silently kept their eyes to one another, like they needed another to verify this really just happened. Finally, it was Aria who broke the stillness and turned to kneel down by the First Enchanter to see if he was all right. The old man lifted his head slowly and looked her over worriedly.

"Are you all right? Where's Greagoir?" he murmured. There were some grunts and sighs of pain on the other side of him as the Knight-Commander and his men recovered from the attack. His eyes immediately sought Aria's form and ordered his men to grab her. She did not fight back as she felt the rough tug of her limbs and cold metal poke into her sides. Was she to be sent to death in Jowan's place? She wouldn't put it passed the cruel man to do just that, she helped a Bloodmage that she thought was a good man, she lost her only family in this place and was now labeled a traitor. There was no point in really doing anything about it now. The sapphire colored gem she took from inside the basement weighted heavily in her pouch, was everything worth it now? She did not know, not anymore at least.

"Tch, I knew it, Bloodmagic! Its overcome so many, I never thought him capable of such power." The Knight-Commander seethed.

"Jowan…said he wasn't a bloodmage…" she couldn't help but murmur softly to herself. She wished it wasn't so.

"None of us expected this. Are you alright Greagoir?" Irving asked as he brushed himself off.

"As good as can be expected given the cercumstances, if you had let me act sooner this would not have happened! Now we have a bloodmage on the loose and no way to track him!" the man shouted crossly.

Yes…the image of Jowan's shattered phylactery popped into her mind. She had let such a thing happen. Her tears strengthened her agony, she had let him play with her trust in him.

"…Where is the girl?" Greagoir shouted. From her hold in the Templars arms she saw Lily jump.

"I-I am here sir." She answered

"You helped a bloodmage, look at all he's hurt." He accused.

"S-She didn't know!" Aria found herself shouting in her defense. "Both of us, we didn't know…"

Lily looked to Aria and stood taller, bracing herself for whatever punishment comes her way.

"You've been a friend, you needn't defend me any longer." She reassured bravely. "Knight-Commander I-I was wrong…I was the accomplice to a bloodmage. I will receive any punishment you seem fit…e-even Aeonar…"

Without a shred of mercy the Knight-Commander ordered her to be taken away. As that happened the human finally turned his sight on the captured elf. She was so small compared to the bulky Templars that held her down.

"Now you, you know why the repository exists, some artifacts, some magic is locked away for a reason!" he shouted.

"Did you take anything from the repository?" Irving asked. With the gem still hidden away in her pouch she felt sad with parting with it, what was the harm?

"N-No First Enchanter." She answered with a lie.

"Hmph! Now what to do with you…" Greagoir snuffed.

"I didn't regret my actions until I found out he lied to me…but I have nothing of importance here now so I will take whatever punishment you give." Aria decided solemnly.

"Yes, and now because of you and your brainless actions all our defenses are for naught!"

"Er Knight-Commander."

A voice unexpectantly enters into the conversation. Everyone turned to see the Grey Warden, Duncan step out from around the corner and to the group.

"If I may, I'm not only looking for mages to join the kings army, I'm also recruiting for the Grey Wardens." Duncan exposed.

"Irving spoke highly of this mage and would like them to join the Wardens ranks."

"Duncan, this mage has assisted a malificar, and shown a lack of regard for the Circles rules." Irving intergected.

"She is a danger!" Greagoir added, "To all of us."

Aria looked up at the human Warden like a kicked puppy, she pleaded he not make this worse.

"This girl is a rare person who risks it all for a friend in need, I stand by my decision. I will recruit this mage." The Warden stood firmly, without fear of rejection.

"No, I refuse," The Knight-Commanders outburst made the elf flinch, "I refuse to let this go unpunished!" Behind the helplessness she felt, Aria stared at the Warden with the smallest of hope.

"I-Is it truly ok with you?"

Duncan caught her gaze and nodded.

"Greagoir, mages are needed, this mage is needed, there are worse things that plague this world than bloodmages. You know that…"

Feeling the Templars loosen their hold unsurely, Aria found herself weakly standing by herself as Duncans strong voice echoed through the room.

"I take this young mage under my wing and bare all responsibility for her actions."

"A bloodmage escapes and his accomplish is not only unpunished, but is rewarded by becoming a Grey Warden!? Do our rules mean nothing? Have we lost all authority over our mages—this does not bode well Irving." The Templar in command shouted in rage….Does Aria sense the slightest bit of jealously from the Kight-Commander?

"Enough," the wise mage sighed, " we have no more say in the matter."

"So…does this mean I will become a Grey Warden?" the elfs' weak voice intruded into the conversation meekly, was there no death in store for her? On the inside she breathed a sigh of relief. She didn't want to die right yet, no matter how miserable she felt.

A hand pat the girls head and Duncan nodded to her.

"Come, your new life awaits."


	4. Trust

Before she knew it, a week had gone by since Aria left the Circle of Magi to travel with the Grey Warden Duncan to Ostagar. They traveled south through the Hinterland and last time she asked they were half way to their destination. It was now early in the morning before the two would set off again to attempt traveling the rest of the way.

Aria opened her eyes to the darkness of her tent that Duncan had shown her how to set up the first time the set up camp to sleep. Even now her handy work was clumsy and inexperienced since while living in the Circle she had never had to do such a thing like sleep on the ground. Yet, while the beds there had been hard, they were after all still beds. Rubbing her tired eyes free of the sleep that still gathered at the tips of her eyes she sat up slowly. It was rough getting up at a time where the sun had yet to rise, but each morning she witnessed it was like the first. Windows were never big or low enough for her to get to see the sky like she could now.

In fact, this had been the first time she's been outside since the time she lived as a servant elf's child. With her skinny arms stretching, muscles popping in relief, Aria threw the blankets from her form and crawled outside into the dark blue morning. The little mage had no qualms, walking out in just a worn white shirt several sizes too big, the mage's new mentor had lent it to her since she owned nothing but the mage's robes she wore before. Aria didn't mind the faint scent of blood she discovered the first time she put the cloth of her body. She knew what the Grey Wardens did from the stories she had read in the library and she knew what Duncan was capable of each morning before breakfast when she watched him loosen his muscles by drilling himself with the twin blades he would strap to his hips before they would set off.

"Good morning," came the gruff greetings of the human she traveled with. Already he was up, swords in each hand as he swiped the air in concentration.

"Morning…have you just started?" Aria asked watching his bare muscles work by the light of the bonfire. Her cheeks flushed each time she watched the man work, never getting you to the sight of an undressed chest. Keeping her eyes to the ground the elf found a seat by the pot this morning's stew will be cooked in; already the ingredients were placed inside, waiting for the heat of fire to set the water inside a boil.

"No, I will be finished momentarily so go ahead and put the pot on the fire if you please." Duncan answered. Wind whistled just feet away from the elf, the Warden resuming his warm ups.

With pot on the fire, Aria turned back to her mentor and watched the blades twist and turn in his deadly hands. Casting a glance to her own weapon, a worn metal staff, she felt a pang of jealously. She had no skill with a blade of any sort; she even once cut herself putting away a small meat knife. The young woman's lack of coordination did not stop her for having an interest with those who could handle them though, for she knew she would forever be stuck lugging around a staff taller than she.

"Aria, is there something on your mind?" Duncan's voice intruded into her thoughts causing her to start and look up at the man as he sheathed his swords. The elf shook her head quickly; her petty thoughts should be of no concern to him.

"Come now girl, you will be in my care until it is your time to join the Wardens. I would like to know what my recruits are thinking."

Brown eyes looked up once more to catch his honest stare.

"Your skill with blades…I find myself jealous of your skill where I only have clumsiness." She admitted. There was a chuckle as Duncan busied himself stirring the heating stew.

"Patience Aria, never be over eager to learn a new skill." He told her, "Now get dressed before the stew is finished. Nodding, the elf scurried back into her tent to dress in her mage's robes. There was a shuffle or two before she come back out and stood up to tie her belt around her hip. The pouch at her side shifted with weight. Eyebrows twitched upwards as she realized she had forgotten about the gemstone she 'borrowed' from the repository.

Unclasping the button that held the small bag closed Aria lifted the palm sized item and sat by the fire once more to stare sadly at it. She really loved the stone and how it lit up, but the terms on which she had taken it left a bad taste in her mouth. It reminded her of the fact she was betrayed by the one she trusted most.

"What's that you got there?"

Aria blinked away the pain that was probably evident in her eyes.

"….I lied when I told First Enchanter I didn't take anything from the repository." She enlightened.

"Well now, I didn't think a girl like you could lie."

"Heh…neither did I." shifting the stone in her hands at another angle she moved it closer to the fires light and watched it light up once more, sending dots of light across her face and Duncans' armor.

"I couldn't help myself really…I was a shame such a thing was hidden away."

"Is it magical, most thing in the Circle are from my understanding." The Warden asked, but Aria shook her head.

"No, I sense no magical properties from within the stone, it isn't Lyrium either, it's just nature….Though now I don't believe I want it."

"Why is that?"

Aria went silent for a moment, unsure if she wanted to answer her mentor. What harm could it do? She was traveling with the man.

"It reminds me that I-I let a bloodmage escape…That the mage was…..was my friend and he lied to me!" New tears pricked the elf's eyes and she threw the stone away from her.

"That foolish man! If he had just trusted me he wouldn't have tried it, he knew it was evil, but he went and used it anyways!" her knees found their way to her chest and she wrapped her arms around her legs. Hiding her face in her knees she felt a stab of shame for losing her composure in front of Duncan. She hadn't wanted to remember just yet, not when she hadn't even gotten the chance to be a Warden.

There was a shuffle as her sharp elven ears picked up the sound of Duncan walking away. Her hidden face flushed at the embarrassment of crying like a child, she wanted to be more composed, almost cool, just as the Warden before her acted. But her control over her emotions was weak.

"Aria, lift your head." Duncan murmured suddenly sounding in front of her. Aria flinched and peaked through ruffled locks to see his stern expression.

"I understand your frustration on the matter. Watching a good friend lie to you, then run away to leave you with the brunt of the trouble. But, don't let emotions such as sorrow or rage control you. Use this experience to learn from so you won't make the mistake again." Grasping her elf's petite hand he set the stone in her palm. Aria stared at him wordlessly.

"But what if I start to trust again too easily?" she murmured.

"Then keep this stone as a reminder, not everyone is trustworthy."

Fixing her eyes on the stone, she saw her reflection in deep blue and sucked in a calming breath. Wiping the tears away, then looked to Duncan nodding once. The man pats her shoulder reassuringly then got to his feet.

"Alright then, time to eat."

* * *

 

On the move once again had the two traveling on foot until midday, the sun was high, but the downcast clouds blocked most of the light making the day dreary. This in turn, disappointed the young elf. She wanted to feel the sun. However, the fact she was outside at all and looking up at the cloud to find what kinds of shapes they made was a dream come true.

Of course this wasn't something new to her, she had been outside the Circle before, but Aria had only been but a child. Her memories of the outside before her humans sent her off were fuzzy, she hardly remembered her parents faces at that.

The dirt road wasn't just occupying Duncan and Aria then, for suddenly the elf felt a sharp jerk of her shoulder. Falling back, the mage hit the ground with an 'omph', a human stood over her with a cross look as he passed her by without so much as an 'excuse me'

"Stupid knife-ear…" was what she heard through a sharp intake of breath. There was no flinch from Aria, she heard it occasionally from the Templars back at the Circle Tower, it was nothing new.

Duncan turned back to Aria to give her a hand.

"Are you alright?" he asked. She nodded.

"Yes, just wasn't paying attention to the road."

"Looking up at the clouds then?" the man raised an amused brow, a smile form onto her lips.

"That one looks like a Lyrium crystal." The mage pointed up at a specific puffy cloud. Aria wasn't going to let people like that human ruin this time for her, she was free.

It wasn't long before the two were back in comfortable silence as they travel further. Occasionally, broken bits of rubble would be spotted here and there along the path.

Hours later when the random bit of rubble began to take shape into broken walls and collapsed pillars Aria knew they had made it to Ostagar. Stepping up to the edge of the cliff they were passing through she couldn't help but peak over the edge to the crumble fortress, it's honor still standing though most of its wall barely did.

Grey brick, overcast by the clouds as high as a quarter of the towers length still stood strong, with pillars reaching high. What wasn't still together was reinforces with lumber and metal. From so high up Aria could make out dots of people on the inside as well as guards minding the few watch towers standing.

In just a few more minutes she would be done there as well, welcoming her chance to be something great.


	5. A War

Aria's neck was inevitably craned upwards as she and Duncan walked swiftly down the cobblestone bridge. Cracks cause many bumps along the way and stones jutted out here and there along their path. The stone-carved railing also crumbled from past attacks where boulders had been thrown across the walkway, only to destroy the railing. However, the fortress before the elf and her mentor was holding strong as she stared in wonder at the arches and glamorous tents she could see through the entrance. One part of Ostagar that clearly stood as stubbornly as the many humans that surrounded her was one lone tower from where the two entered. So tall it was that her good vision saw the vague shapes of crows flying around the tip top. Aria wondered for what purpose the tower stood.

Then, a man adorned in golden armor walked out from around the corner, she didn't know exactly if he was coming to greet them or call her a dirty knife-ear as other human travelers had done to her on their travel here. The golden armor clad man smiled broadly, as he held out his hand to Duncan.

"Ho there, Duncan!"

"King Cailin?" The Grey Warden seemed shocked as he addressed the king. Aria too, stopped her gawking at the architecture to gawk at that man who was her king. Never had she dreamed of something like this, going outside Circle walls was one thing, but meeting the king of all Ferelden…She wanted to faint.

"What, didn't expect a royal welcome? I was beginning to think you would miss all the fun." The man smiled jokingly. Duncan didn't not join in on the kings attempt at marry making, his eyes grim, lips set in a thin line as always.

"Not if I could help it your majesty…"

Cailin seemed to nod in approval. By Duncan's side, Aria stood silently. While she was shocked to see the man before her, she had yet to know if she was just intentionally being ignored or what.

"So, The Grey Wardens told me you have a promising new recruit, I take it this is she?" The king turned the elf's way and she nervously looked up at him. He was taller than her mentor, but he didn't hold himself in a threatening in the least. Her stiff shoulder' lay more at ease.

"Allow me to introduce her your ma—" King Cailin happily interrupted and stepped towards Aria himself. She saw him lean down ever so slightly as if to get a better look at the young woman, not even close to reaching his shoulders without stretching the tips of her short fingers.

"No need to be so formal, we'll be shedding blood here together soon enough. Ho there friend, might I know your name?"

"….Aria, your majesty."

The blond king's face brightened with a charming smile.

"Pleased to meet you, the Grey Warden's are desperate to bolster their numbers and I for one, am happy to help them. I here you hail from the Circle of Magi, I trust you have some spell to help us in the upcoming battle."

Aria's mouth felt dry at her turn to speak and could simply only nod.

"I-I will do my best, your majesty." She murmured quickly. This seemed as good a reply as any, for the king nodded his head and spoke once more.

"Excellent, we have few too many Mage's and another is always welcome." Then the large man held out his hand, tentively she took it and the man grinned once again as he shook it in greetings.

"Allow me to be the first one to welcome you to Ostagar, Aria. The Warden's will benefit greatly with you in their ranks."

The elven woman gulped and hoped this man's' words spoke true, because she had no confidence surrounded with so many humans surrounding her, and a war brewing from right under her nose. Nervously, she looked up to Duncan for some sort of input to free her from this shining man's air of overconfidence.

A sigh brought her attention back to the king as he released her much tinier hand.

"I'm sorry to cut this short, but I must return to my tent. Lohgain waits eagerly to bore me with his strategies." He complained lightly. Finally, Duncan spoke up, his voice that of a lecturing elder towards King Cailin.

"Your Uncle sends his greetings and reminds you that Redcliff forces could be here in less than a week."

"Ha! Eamon just wants in on the glory. We've won three battles against these monsters and tomorrow will be no different." The kings' snide laugh caused Aria to jump, she didn't quite understand who they two men talked about. She could put no thought into a comment and chose to stay silent as she followed the men who began to walk deeper into the Ostagar camp; her frantic, brown eyes past a guard on the way there who also glanced at her with a silent nod

"You…sound confident." She found herself saying out loud, more so to herself than to the man in question. Cailin cast her a glance and chuckled.

"Over confident some may say, right Duncan?" The older man shook his head condescendingly.

"Your Majesty, I'm not sure the Blight can be ended quiet as…quickly as you might wish."

"I'm not even sure this is a true Blight," the shade that once covered the three under barely standing arches gave way to a brighter, yet still overcast sky. Halfway through their journey from Lake Calenhad where the Circle of Magi is located the skies had become the gloomy, sunless weather it was now. She had waited for the rain, yet it seemed to hold itself back from falling through the clouds as if to wait for the perfect time. Aria remembered back at the Circles library there were many books that depicted sad events with ran. Maybe this was such a sign the King should not ignore.

"There are plenty of Darkspawn, but alas, we see no sign of an Archdemon." Cailin's voice brought the elf away from her mindless thoughts, she glanced up at the ever grim Duncan as he spoke his thoughts of the others disappointment. Then, the man's voice was wistful, clouded with memories she could only assume were years old.

"I had hope for a war like in the stories," He sighed. "You know, with the King ridding with the fabled Grey Warden's against a tainted God." Aria felt the disappointment in this adventure seeking King as he turned towards the two as the halted near a large, burning bonfire.

"But I suppose this will have to do."

Aria looked off to the side as Duncan and the King traded a few more words. And she had to wonder, was such a war really as glamorous and exciting as he thought.


	6. Awkward

Left to her own devices now, Aria stood nowhere in particular as she watched groups and groups of humans in and out of armor strut back and forth. It was unfamiliar to the elven Mage, so many men and women, armed and dangerous wasn't something that made her comfortable. Armed humans were dangerous.

A sharp jolt to her side caused the petite Mage to stumble out of a man's' way. She looked up apprehensively, catching the annoyed look that crossed his gruff face.

"Watch it Elf." He grunted as he shifted the weight of his heavy load, several long swords, onto his other shoulder. Aria flinched nervously and apologized. He snorted as he carried on his way, muttering on about useless baggage.

Aria didn't particularly like the thought of her being the 'useless' one. Instead, the Mage focused on the task Duncan had left her with after he told her she could explore the base. And that was to locate a warrior named Alistair. However, due to the fact she was looking at something else while Duncan spoke to her about where she'd find the senior Warden she was having a bit of difficulty finding him.

Now she walked along a spiked, wooden fence where a small pack of Mabari hounds were resting. Her eyes sparked with curiosity, it was one more thing that she had never seen before. Standing on the tips of her toes, the elf peeked over to get a better looked at the muscular beasts with war paint in different colors. They look like bears, she thought as she spotted a man looking worriedly over another makeshift cave. Leaving where she was she walked over to him. The man spotted her.

"Oh, uh, hello. You must be the new Warden that just arrived, need anything from me?" he asked her. Aria shook her head.

"I guess I am, nice to meet you. Are you the master of these Mabari?"

"Not to all of them, I'm mostly just watching over this one."

"Why is that?"

The male human pointed a thumb inside the cage at his side. Peering through, Aria saw yet another hound, pale tan in color with a blood stained black jaw. It was in the far corner with its head laying in its paws. As soon as it caught the elf looking over a growl left him.

"During the last battle this hound lost its master, but the poor bout swallowed a bit of Darkspawn blood. I have medicine that might help but I need him muzzled first."

"Oh…Then could I give it a try?" Aria asked. The man looked at the short girl in disbelief, but shook his head nonetheless and set the muzzle in her hands.

"Sure, go in the pin and let him smell you. Well know right away if he's bonded…I'd really hate to put him down" The man shrugged.

Inside the pin, the hound took one look at her before tensing, teeth bearing in a growl. The elf knelt down where she was and reached out her hand.

"Shh…don't be afraid. I'm not going to hurt you." She murmured softly. Letting the mabari lift his head unsurely before he decided to come over himself. Brown eyes watched in awe as the beast slowly stood to reach his nose to sniff at her hand. Its eyes glanced up at her, they stared at each other, Aria could swear the hounds eyes glimmered intelligently behind his pain.

"Come here…" she murmured again as she lifted the hand holding the muzzled. The mabari whimpered, yet let the elf do as she pleased, tightening the buckles on the back of his head. They looked once more into the mabari hounds' eyes.

They blinked and she stood to leave the separate kennel.

"Well done," The man praised Aria, who nodded happily in return. "Now I can treat the dog properly. Poor fella…Now that I think of it, will you be heading into the Wilds any time soon?"

"Hm…I don't know, I'll have to speak with Duncan about that." The mage shrugged.

"There's a particular herb I could use to improve the dogs chances. It's a flower that goes in the swamps around here, if I remember. If you happen to run across it, I could use it; it's very distinctive, all white with a blood red center."

Listening intently, the mage nodded.

"All right then, if I see one I'll be sure to grab it."

"Good, in the mean time I'll begin treating our dear friend."

Leaving the man to his business, Aria went to look for Duncan to question him about going into the Wilds. Passing by a couple humans by what she guessed to be a weapons dealer she flinched when the rough tone of another man called out.

"Hey you, elf!"

Turning toward the voice a large, burly man stomped over towards her. She craned her neck up to look at him nervously, wondering what he could want with her.

"Where's my armor!? " he demanded. The elf furrowed her brows in confusion.

"And why are you dressed so preposterously?" Aria twitched and looked down at her mages robes, the gold and turquoise fabric shimmered in the pale light of the sun. Did they not suite her? Mauling over whether her sense of fashion was off or not it suddenly came to her that this human man before her must have thought she was someone's servant.

"Um…Could you be mistaking me for a servant? I'm here as a Warden."

"What are you—" the man crossed his arms in annoyance before realization hit him and his jaw tensed.

"You're..oh! Uh, yes…Please forgive my rudeness." He stuttered awkwardly. The disbelief and embarrassment on his face about the fact an elf was becoming a Warden showed on him clearly.

"There are so many elves running about and I've been waiting for my armor, and with things being so hectic—but uh, please, pardon my manners, I am just a quarter master, a simple man—no one special."

Aria's shoulders relaxed as the man apologized, but felt he was taking it a bit far. She wasn't going to kill him or anything for a simple misunderstanding. But the fact he easily thought she was a servant just because of her race pricked at her heart. Elves had it harder out in the world. Sure she got a few rude remarks back in the Circle of Magi for her race, however, at the end of the day every person, whether human or elf was in the same boat. Racism came mostly from the Templars.

"Don't worry about it; I just arrived so not many know the newest recruit is an elf." She spoke up with a wave of her hand. The poor man had started to sweat.

"T-Thank you, really!" the Quarter Master sighed. "Here uh, you're welcome to browse through my wares if you need anything. It's mostly for the kings men, but you Grey Wardens can buy it for a modest price."

"Thank you, I appreciate this, but I have somewhere to be…" Aria turned away to continue searching for Duncan.

"Ah, there you are Aria." Duncan said as the brunette elf wandered over to the large bonfire. She looked up at him with a tentative smile.

"It's quite hard to adjust to all of this." She admitted as she shuffled a little closer to the older human as another group of armored men and women stomped across from them. Duncan chuckled and let the child take cover.

"You will get use to this in time, The world is a vast place beyond the Circle, but the people are spread thin. This is an exception." She pat her shoulder as a father would encourage a child.

"So, are you prepared to start your initiation into the Grey Wardens?"

Aria had to look up at the dark grey sky, the Wardens had given her the chance to look up at this sky, no matter the dank state it was in and given her a worthy life to live in protecting the weak, like in the grand tales in the books she had read. If he hadn't been there in the Circle all those weeks ago she could be in prison right now, or worse. A stab of pain hit her where her shattered heart had been at the memory of what happened the night she was the humans in this wide world frightened her and mistreat her.

Maybe she couldn't be a Warden? She wasn't a battle worn veteran after all.

"Duncan, I don't think I'm fit for this. I might die right here tonight for all I know."

The towering shadow of Duncan swallowed her.

"But, I owe you for giving me this chance, for choosing me and thinking I'm right for this…I want to trust your belief."

"Have more confidence Aria, in the Circle your full potential never could have been grown there. The type of person I sense in you needs room to spread your wings." Aria fisted the golden fabric of her robes and looked up at the man.

"So, What do I need to do to join?"

"There will be a joining ritual, but before we can carry it out I need you to go and find another Warden, Alistair is his name. Last I heard he was sent to deliver a message to the Mages who were sent to assist us."

Aria nodded then and turned around to go search out this Alistair fellow. She hoped inwardly he wouldn't confuse her with another slave.

* * *

 

Slowly walking up a crumbling yet stable ramp to a once solid and most likely beautiful tower the elf decided to take the time and look around more thoroughly as she searched for the Grey Warden named Alistair.

"What is it now?" an exasperated voiced sigh loudly, albeit unnecessarily. Aria looked down from examining black birds disappearing into the forest below and watched with mild curiosity as a middle aged man dressed in familiar mages robes crossed his arms in front of and awkwardly fidgeting blond man.

The blond was another human she noticed, with a muscular build and heavy metal armor. Side tracked, Aria thought he would have to be impressively strong to wear something so heavy looking.

"Haven't the Grey Warden's asked enough of the Circle?" Aria's hair shifted as she walked in closer as the strong jawed blond was identified as a Warden. Was this man Alistair maybe?

The Warden scratched the back of his head and darted his eyes towards the elf, clearing his throat for his new audience awkwardly. Maybe he saw her own mages robes and thought he was about to get another ear full?

Aria couldn't help an amused smile as she hid it behind a sleeve.

"I uh…simply came to deliver a message from the revered mother, sir mage, she desires your presence…" He stuttered.

The mage scoffed rudely.

"What her Reverence 'desires' is of no concern to me! I am busy helping the Grey Wardens—by the kings order I might add!"

"Should I have asked her to right a note?" the blond asked sheepishly.

"Humph! Tell her I will not be harassed in this manner!" the mages voice grew in pitch. Aria looked quizzically at the mages complaint.

It seemed though, that the other man had had just about enough of the aggravating man as he shrugged sarcastically.

"Yes, I was harassing you by delivering a message."

Aria snickered, it must have made the mage even angrier though.

"Your glibness does you no credit."

"And here I thought we were getting along so well! I was even going to name one of my children after you—The Grumpy One." The man sighed. That seemed to set the mage off as he spoke a few more sharp words before pushing passed the tiny Aria as she giggled softly.

"I think you made him mad?" she murmured.

The man shrugged and shook his head.

"You know…one thing about the Blight is how it brings people together."

Aria smiled.

"What a strange thing to say after how he treated you."

"It happens." He shrugged. "Say…I don't think we've met, have we? I don't suppose you happen to be another mage?"

"Um, yes, I am indeed."

"Huh, really? You don't look like a mage? Uh…that is…I mean...how interesting?"

Aria didn't know if that was an insult or not so she just let him continue speaking.

"Ah—wait! I do know who you are. You're Duncan's new recuite, from the Circle of Magi. I should have recognized the design of your robes…uh not that I was looking—I mean I was but-um—wait not like…oh you know…I'm just going to ask you for your name now." The blond man, more than a head taller than the elf rubbed the back of his head as he stuttered awkwardly. It couldn't be helped that his bumbling ways brought a shy smile to her face as she gave him her name.

"I'm Aria Surana…could you possibly be Alistair?"

"Uhh, yeah—yes! That would be me. If you already know it's safe to assume Duncan has talked about me? Nothing bad I hope!" Alistair was an odd man Aria began to think. Such a goofy thing he was that she was unsure he truly was a Grey Warden.

"So, anyways…I guess as the junior member of our order, I'll be the one to accompany you and the other conscripts for when you prepare for the Joining."

"The Joining…Duncan mentioned it but—What can you tell me about the Joining?" she asked showing her apprehensiveness. Sure she may have agreed to go through with this as a way to have her freedom, but she will admit to herself her regret at going at it so blindly. However, at her query, Alistair again scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

"Sorry about this, but I cannot reveal the nature of the Joining until the actual ceremony. I can however, tell you it involves darkspawn blood. But enough of this, lets head back to where Duncan is waiting, probably the new recruits too."

Aria nodded; disappointed she couldn't get anything out of the armored man, but kindly followed after him to return to Duncan's side. As they walked, their conversation continued as the man seemed to realize something.

"You know, now that I think about it, I've never really seen a lot of women in the Wardens. I wonder why that is?"

"Uhh, Do you want more women in the Wardens?" she asked. Alistair shrugged.

"Would that be so terrible?" he snorted in amusement at her honest question, "Not that I'm some drooling lecher or anything…"

Aria made a face, stepping back from him and giving the blond a wide birth.

"Hey! Stop looking at me like that, it was a joke, a joke!" he waved his arms for her to come back to his side. Aria gave him another look before giving him an unsure smile and an uncomfortable laugh.

"You found Alistair, did you? Good, I assume you're ready to begin preparations?" Duncan said as soon as the pair was within hearing distance. The heat of the bonfire warmed the elf's face as it lit her saviors armor up into colors of gold and amber. She nodded to him as she fought the chill that had started to seep into her mage's robes the longer she had walked with Alistair.

"Assuming you are quite finished riling up the mages, Alistair."

The blond shrugged innocently, making Aria giggle.

"What can I say? The revered mother ambushed me; the way she welds guilt they should stick her in the army."

"And I suppose she forced you to sass the mage, did she?" the older man challenged. Alistairs lips pursed.

"You're right Duncan, I apologize…"

With a satisfied nod, Duncan turned his attention to the three people gathered by the fire. As the Warden talked with each other she had taken the time to turn and great the other two that must have been the other recruits. One was an older man, mid 30's or early 40's and was balding. But he filled out his bronze colored armor honorably and nodded to her in a tense greeting.

Aria nodded back politely.

The other man was probably several years older than her, in his late 20's and wore worn leather over a stained tunic. His eyes were shifty. Aria didn't like the look this man gave her and opted to talk a few paces away from him.

"Now then, since you are all here we can begin."

For a split second as Aria caught Duncan's darkly serious eyes a cold chills passed through her. She bit her lip though and pushed back that cold feeling one often got right before vomiting. There was no time to back out now. This was her choice, her path. Even if her nerved told her otherwise she was sure nothing could go wrong.


	7. Warriors are not Made by Choice

Kneeling down, a hand stretched out to grab the stem of the large white flower as she used the other to break the stem. A brown eye scrutinized the deep red center and was pleased to find it had fit the description she received hours earlier by the Mabari trainer.

"Hey, are you quite done yet? Stand'in aroun' like this here in the wilds makes me skin crawl." The shifty eyed conscript complained looking down his nose at the only elf in the group. Aria turned her eyes from the flora to the man with his arms crossed. She tilted her head in the direction of the path ahead of them, the mushy ground, damp with moisture and smelling of swamp water was covered in a vague layer of fog. Alistair and the older soldier waited for her near the apex of a hill on the lookout for any approaching enemies.

The Korcari Wilds was known for its dank and dire atmosphere. Wrought with hidden dangers and ghostly rumors of demons, witches, and wild men…At least that was what she had heard and read about in the Circle. It had been at least three hours since Duncan had sent the new recruits out of the safety of wooden barriers to hunt down lingering Darkspawn in the dangerous swamp-like forest and drain them of their blood. It was a macabre task she grimaced, and she was honestly afraid and nauseous at what the darkspawn blood could have to do with joining the Wardens.

However, so far into their little field trip the only thing the group has encountered thus far was a bear and a small pack of grey wolves.

Standing, Aria tucked the sweet smelling flower into a leather satchel the trainer had given her before leaving Ostagar. She nodded back towards the rogue and joined the two other men who were tense and pale.

"Ugh…I'll never get use to this place no matter how many times I'm forced to tag along with someone." Alistair sighed as he sheathed his sword.

Aria shrugged.

"I kind of like it." She spoke up. The three men looked at her oddly.

"You've got to be kidding me." Alistair raised his brow.

"It's bloody scary in 'ere you daft woman!" the rogue complained as he shivered, there was a wolfs howl in the distance. Pink flooded her cheeks as the elf turned away to start walking down the path deeper in the forest.

"Sure, it's got the atmosphere that some kind of monster is going to pop out at you and rip your throat out—" Alistairs eyes bulged out a little at her off handed comment. "But it's that air of the unknown that makes me want to delve in deeper and find out if there really are monsters." She sighed.

"That's right…you are a Circle mage are you not Lady Aria." The eldest man asked from his perch on the hill. "Mages are not permitted to leave the tower, not even to go outside onto the island the tower is built on."

She nodded.

"That night Duncan came to recruit me, it was the first time I saw the whole sky filled with stars…" the elf tilted her head. "at least…not since before my gift was discovered."

"You mean you can remember when you were brought to the Circle of Magi?" Alistair asked curious. Aria turned her head to him as they walked a dubious look in her eyes.

"Did you think I spawned from one of the bricks that make the tower or something? I have parents too you know." Her comment was to the point, if a little offended, much different from the soft, often nervous stutter of her speech. The men flinched back for a moment in guilt. Alistair opened his mouth as if to say something, his finger held in suspension until he thought otherwise. An apologetic look crossed his face as he stared at then thin back of the young woman. That had been insincere of him…The elf was a mage yes, the powers of the fade able to bend to her will or take her over completely…but she was also still mortal. Her small frame, her full height not even reaching his shoulders, her tiny hands and eyes so deep a brown the honey gold flicks he noticed the first time he looked at them a stark contrast that made her eyes pop even in the dank Ferelden light. Everything about her seemed just so….small compared to him. He was no giant either, standing only a mere 5"9, so small, and so easy to overpower…

Alistair could feel his face burn as he coughed, ridding himself of such thoughts about the only female conscript.

"So you—" he cleared his throat as his voice cracked, the soldier looked at him in mild curiosity. "So what did happen? I mean—you don't, you know…have to talk about it if…um…it's just—"

"You don't here too many stories on the mages side about when they a spirited away to the Circle of Magi." The shifty eyed rogue poked the elf.

Thank you for your lack of subtlety for a rogue, Alistair wanted to groan.

Aria shifted as they walked.

"….I was—am the daughter of Mathari and Zathris Surana. Servants to an Arl in the Northern region of Ferelden and his family." Aria rubbed her arm as she cleared her throat, as if that helped the thick lump in her throat.

"They met in the Alienage there…I was…five…when we discovered my connection to the Fade."

"Someone found out and alerted the Templars….T-They took me, locked my wrists in shackles with dwarven runes to prevent me from using magic and brought me to the tower."

There was a long silence in the group as Aria finished her recollection. It was spotty and she knew she left some things out.

"So uhhhh….I sense Darkspawn approaching?" Alistair mumbled through the tense atmosphere.

Aria smiled…he is such an awkward human.

* * *

 

An explosion of red hot, searing fire blew heat and earth into the dreary sky. The moist air filled with the smell of smoke and burning flesh.

The heat wave, strong as it was, knocked the browned haired woman to her back several feet away. Her vision blurred as tears and breath escaped her, causing her to choke. The ringing in her ears almost too loud to hear the cries of the men around her as they too were knocked back and roars of monsterous triumph came from somewhere ahead of the fallen group.

Too stunned to move as the heat of the fire surrounded her she wondered vaguely if being caught in an explosion was suppose to hurt so much. It was as if the claws of the darkspawn before her was holding her down and tearing the flesh from her shoulder and arms as she lay there motionless and silent. The high pitched screams of her companions and ringing in her ears the only accompaniment to her pain.

"Aria! Aria!"

Through the smoke and watery brown eyes the mage blinked, trying to se from where the voice was calling her. So disoriented was she that the voice of the Grey Warden seemed so small compared to the screaming.

Suddenly, her face became painted in hot liquid, her eyes snapped shut as the ground vibrated near to her and hot, jagged armor rubbed against her. She cracked open an eye to see a sword struck through the most horrid creature she had ever seen. It's flesh…if it could still be called that was mottled and discolored with blues and browns. It reminded her much of the time when she first entered the circle and Jowan had come to visit her late in the afternoon with bruises he warned her came from Templar's who didn't quite understand that ' teaching proper etiquette' did not include pushing one down a flight of stairs because they did not greet them properly. And its teeth—Aria squeezed her eyes shut as another high pitched scream came from somewhere so far off. Sharp, all filed to imperfect, violent points. They looked sharp enough to easily rip out the throats of their enemies.

"Aria, get a hold of yourself!" came Alistair's command as he grabbed for her arm with the free hand not reaching for his bloody sword.

The high pitched scream she learned, came from her.

The hand that wrapped around her thin wrist pressed down on the blistering heat that had been attacking her shoulder and forearms mercilessly. Her tears streamed down her cheeks then. She remembered exactly what happened the instant Alistair gasped and realized what he had done to her and changed his grip not to her arm, but to her wrist.

"Can you fight?"

His words were lost to her as her memories flooded back. She had just told them the day she was brought to the circle when Alistair warned of encroaching danger…And then she felt her ankle snap a hidden wire in the foliage around her.

The burning of her flesh brought her out of her head and into the reality of the situation. It was an ambush, and her weapons—her arms—were damaged.

Inhaling sharply she looked up at Alistair, pain so very evident in her eyes, the blond man couldn't help but flinched.

"…Can you fight?" he asked again more seriously, his large hand pressed so firmly against her waist. Despite the situation, she saw his cheeks flush in embarrassment. Aria looked out into the forest where a large, cracking stone archway and stream with vines wrapping around everything but a small bridge and the roots of tangled brushes were protruding from the earth that was the field of battle. Fire painted it all. The rogue and soldier the only two fending off the overwhelming numbers of the ambush. Both were no sooner knocked down by what she could tell was a very corrupt and ugly magic.

Her fists clinched even though it hurt to do so and pushed away from the Warden who supported her.

"I have to…I agreed to this." She cried and lifted her scorched arms. The blistering skin at her shoulder felt like it was peeling off her very muscles, yet still, she persisted and let the feeling of heat around her die as numbing blue fire erupted from her palms. Alistair starred in wonder at the blue Fade energy before turning his attention back to where their comrades were planted face first into a holly bush.

"Can you handle that Emissary alone?" he asked, though his soft, almost puppy-like voice was almost inaudible to the ringing in her ears. She pushed back another scream of agony but did not yet trust her voice to speak. So she nodded. Even though she was entirely sure the creature he called an Emissary would kill her.

She's only fought two true battles in her life. Her Harrowing, where a demon of rage so selfishly wanted her body all to himself, and in the bowls the Circle of Magi against ghosts and guards to hunt down her childhood friends' phylactery. But this…this was war. Aria had no experience, no idea as to what to do, she had little to no experience in using her magic for actual combat. So when sharp needles of that ugly green magic came at her with the speed of a bat out of hell, Aria does the first thing that comes to her mind and dives for the ground.

In retrospect, she will have learned her lesson about dodging life threatening attacks by diving to the ground. It doesn't work as well as you would think.

The elf whimpered as her burned appendages screamed at her in spite and the edges of her golden mage robes were decimated. Looking up at the enemy she gulped as it proceeded to close the gap between them.

"No!" She shrieked in wide eyed panic. Her arms reached out in front of her and caught the ground in blue fire-like energy, creating a barrier. It stopped the Emissary, but not for long, so as soon as she found herself on her feet and grabbing the staff that she remembered she still had, she was holding it up just in time to block a hit from the darkspawns claws. The woman grunted in effort and sucked in a breath, staring up at the enemy and letting all her power gather and coil into one place until it sprung from her. And just as the explosion had knocked her back, her spell had knock the Emissary back and to the ground just in time for the older soldier to impale it with his long sword.

With the darkspawn around them dead Aria breathed a sigh of relief before sinking to the ground. Her body shook; she was taking part in a war. A bloody, deadly, scary war, it was finally hitting her with what she agreed to follow Duncan for. He was asking her to do this, asking her to give up the safety of the Circle, despite its many flaws and the sure chance she had of becoming Tranquil—or execution- after the stunt she pulled with Jowan and the Chantry woman.

Duncan was asking her to kill for him and an order of warriors she only read about in books.

Oh….

A sinking feeling hit the elf as the burning in her body turned to coldness. Sweat as cold as icicles broke out around her forehead, neck, and hands. Suddenly the blistering flesh was nothing.

She was going to be sick.

"Tha's the last 'o it!" the cowardly rogue spoke up as he held containers that dripped with dark liquid. Darkspawn blood she realized. Her vision went white for a moment and she vaguely recalled Alistair running up to her in concern before she shoved him away to make haste for a pile of rubble to shield her shameful form as she vomited what little contents she had in her stomach before leaving Ostagar's mangled fortress.

The men of the group stared off to were the fledgling mage had run off to. They heard the choking and respectfully turned away to busy themselves with the monstrous bodies and untangling the corpses of some men hanging from the trees.

Alistairs skin was pale as he caught his reflection in the murky waters nearby. His hair ruffled and armor dripping with blood. A little worse for wear but unfazed. He was accustomed to the fighting already; he had already been trained to fight in the first place. Killing was of no consequence to him since he knew he was doing it to protect the innocent.

Dry coughing from the other side of the clearing where Aria had fled to too clear her stomach of all its contents from one fight reminded him of the position she now found herself in. He couldn't help but pity her. She was a naive and innocent child, unused to the life outside the Circle where everything was provided for her, where combat was not in her vocabulary, nor the willingness to take anothers life. Yet, he now understood why Duncan had chosen such a young girl for a conscript. Her magic was a wonder. Powerful enough to knock back a darkspawn almost twice her size without any such training in combat prior, she was a natural; maybe even a protege, though that had yet to be seen.

There was silence now. Aria's coughing fit after getting sick was over and now she just lay there in the dirt on her hands and knees. Wide eyes stared at nothing in particular as she willed the disgusting taste left in her mouth to disappear.

She couldn't do this. It was going to break her. She sniffled as the tears hadn't stopped. If it didn't break her, surely becoming a Grey Warden would be the death of her.

There were footsteps coming from behind her, Aria tensed. A reassuring voice, however, eased her burning shoulder as she brought herself to sit up.

The masculine hand handed her a dirtied cloth to wipe her mouth. She thanked them silently.

"When you're ready we have one more stop to take before returning to Ostagar." Alistair spoke as he rubbed her back as if she were made of glass. She wouldn't be surprised if she was now though, to be honest. At this point…nothing would surprise her.

"….Does it get easier?" she whispered to the Warden, so tiny, as if she were once again a child up against the Templars. Alistair thought about it some before shuffling through his leather satchel at his belt to take out a tiny jar of ice salve. He handed it to her.

"It…does…if you find the right reason to carry on and shoulder the burden. Death is hard, whether it be an enemy or friend…we just find ways of coping with it and knowing it was for the right reason." He told her.

"I'm sure you'll be able to do this for the right reason too. You have a power strong enough to protect many people….that uh…that much I believe in." The blond Warden stood straighter to leave before the elf caught his arm and looked up at him. Her complexion still sallow, but gifted with a very small, thankful smile.

Alistairs breath caught in his throat and his palms sweat in his leather gloves.

"Thank you Alistair…I'll be ready in a moment."

The man nodded stiffly before giving her the privacy to smother her shoulder and arms in the cooling salve.

* * *

 

Her clothes were pretty much a lost cause, the left shoulder pad and sleeves had been burnt off in the explosion and the ends were frayed, the golden sheen gone now and replaces with dirty splotches of swamp mud.

Luckily, they had found some clothing in a catch someone had left hidden away at the end of a stony path. The men thought it only right she find something in less tatters to wear….However, she was sure none of them intentionally knew it had been so tight fitting around her hips and thighs. Aria herself almost forgot she had hips at this point until she dressed in the deep forest green robes with thin gold ropes around her waist and leather neck protector. The shoulder guards of dark animal fur aggravated her burned shoulder, but it at least protected it from further damage, as did the leather arm bands that most certainly would be stained on the inside permanently from the ice salve treating her burnt arms.

Embarrassed as she might be, freeing herself from the modesty of her Circle robes, she had to admit the ease of mobility with her pale legs free of the thick cloth and into deep green, tight pantaloons with boots with golden embroidery was….liberating. She found herself never wanting to go back to thick formal robes ever again.

The group, lead by Alistair slowed to a walk as more ruins appeared up ahead of what Aria was sure was once a beautiful building.

"What are we doing here?" she asked.

"Duncan wanted us to retrieve some old treaties from a sealed safe deep within the Wilds. They are in an old tower once controlled by the Grey Wardens. He said something about them being an agreement of some sort with the Grey Wardens. He thought we might need it in the upcoming war if things get…dangerous." He explained as the four came to a pile of rubble. Looking on and around the ruins, Aria noted the rising stone path that at one point must have lead up to a second floor.

It was then the wondrous and venomous voice of a woman broke their curious silence and all eyes turned to the ramp that now lead to nowhere.

"Well, well, what have we here?"

A woman, young, and clearly confident in the way she sauntered down the ramp as she spoke told them she was quite use to the dank and foggy forest.

"Are you a vulture, I wonder?" she asked in that wondrously cold voice Aria could admit she liked. She tilted her head in curiosity.

"A scavenger poking amidst a corpse whose bones were long since cleaned?"

Aria saw the tension and confusion in the men around her, and though she felt a similar unease as the woman stalked towards them, and her own feebleness and unsure emotions of the situation must have been choking the air around them, she stepped forward to join the stranger on even ground. Her hands clenched the other even as dull pain shot through them.

"Or are you merely an intruder, in these darkspawn filled wilds of mine in search of easy prey?" the dark woman pondered, crossing milky arms under full breast that were shielded from view with only a steep dropped neckline and hood. Beads in an elaborate necklace adorned her neck and let pieces dangle down her chest. When the woman stopped and lifted her head, the pale light of the forest illuminated dark, serious eyes and black hair mostly still hidden from view, her lips full and painted a deep violet-red, start contrast from her own grey-purple she painted hers with. The woman nudged her head towards Aria with a bored expression.

"What say you, hmm? Scavenger, or intruder?"

Aria shook her head.

"We are neither, the Grey Wardens once owned these parts. We are merely retrieving what was left here." She answered surprisingly calm. The strange woman scoffed.

"Tis a tower no longer. The Wilds have obviously claimed this desecrated corpse." The woman walked closer, circling the group as if to size them up.

"I have watched your progress for some time. 'Where do they go' I wondered, 'Why are they here?'"

"…and now you disturb ashes none have touched for so long…Why is that?" she asked.

Aria heard one of the men gulp. She blinked, was about to say something when Alistair gripped her uninjured shoulder sternly.

"Don't answer her" he muttered, "She looks Chasind, and that means others may be nearby."

A whaspy chuckle from the woman interrupted.

"Oh~ You fear barbarians will swoop down upon you?"

"….Yes. Swooping is bad." He muttered at her glaringly.

"She's a witch 'o the Wilds she is! She'll turn us into toads!" the shifty rogue interjected fearfully as realization dawned on him.

"Witch of the Wilds?" the woman scoffed.

"Such idle fancies, those legends. Have you no minds of your own?" she asked. Aria furrowed her brow at the rogues accusation. Was she some witch from those scary wives tails the older mages would tell her. She could hardly believe it, but then again…she did just inadvertently sign up to join a war.

Once more her eyes locked with mysterious hazel ones.

"You there, Women do not frighten as easily as little boys. Tell me your name and I shall tell you mine."

"Of course," she agreed, though it was a long stretch to call her unafraid, she had spilt her guts out at the sight of just one dead darkspawn after all only twenty or so minutes prior to their meeting.

"I am Aria Surana, it is a pleasure to meet you."

There was a snide smirk.

"And you may call me Morrigan, if you wish. Shall I guess your purpose? You sought whatever was in that chest, something that is here no longer?"

"Here no longer?" was Alistairs incredulous reply.

"Alistiar…" Aria mumbled, catching him by his arm before he could stomp forward to confront the witch. He ignored the elven mage however and pointed an accusing finger at Morrigan.

"You stole them didn't you?"

Morrigan raised a graceful black eyebrow.

"You're…..some kind of…sneaky…witch thief!" he stuttered on his attempt at an insult. And even though considering the position they were in, Aria couldn't help the tiny snort of amusement. Morrigan seemed to have less of an amused reaction and more of the same boredom a raised brow shouldn't possibly be able to show.

"How very eloquent. How does one steal from dead men?"

"Quite easily, it seems." The blond man muttered. "Those documents are Grey Warden property, and I suggest you return them." He challenged in an authoritive voice.

"I will not." Morrigan sounded offended. "Twas not I who removed them. Invoke a name that means nothing here any longer, if you wish. I am not threatened."

Alistiar's stern looked seemed to have shattered then and filled with confusion.

"Then could you tell us who did remove them, if you can?" Aria asked politely.

"Twas my mother in fact." The witch stated matter of fact.

"Wait—"Alistair interjected. "Your mother?!"

Morrigan sighed.

"Yes, my mother, you daft man, did you think I spawned from a log?"

Aria hoped Alistair wouldn't grace that with a comment.

"A thieving, weird, talking log, perhaps."

The human proved her wrong.

The witch leaned against one of the crumbling pillars that once use to be a part of the decrepit tower as if gracing this man was a physical labor that left her unable to stand because of the stupidity that escaped his lips.

"Not all in the Wilds are monsters, flowers grow, as well as toads."

"If you wish, I will take you to my mother. Tis not far from here, and you may ask her for your papers, if you like."

Grudgingly, Alistai turned to the group.

"We should get those treaties, but I dislike this…Morrigan's sudden appearance, it's too convenient." He muttered. Aria furrowed her brow again.

"We don't have much of a choice right? I say we go with her, she seems nice enough…no one's turned into toads." She pointed out. The rogue made a strangled noise. The other merely shrugged and accepted Aria's reasoning.

"Follow me then, if you please."


	8. The Joining

Long worn stones, towered and cracked around the party in what Aria could only describe as fallen and forgotten buildings on long ago. The one that still towered in half collapsed towers or domes cast ragged shadows over them and made the all ready growing darkness darker. Night was falling and the witch, Morrigan, was still leading them farther and farther to her mothers' home hidden in the forest swamp.

She could tell without even looking that the men around her were uncomfortable with the predicament they'd found themselves in. Or in the fact they had left the decision to follow the darkly clad woman in the hands of an elf fresh out the Circle who didn't know the meaning of 'Stranger Danger'.

For this, she felt the need to ask the question the three men have, in her mind, been deemed utterly unhelpful. Even Alistair had strayed just a tad closer to her during their little excursion. She would have blushed awkwardly if it wasn't such a silly thing to do when Morrigan was completely honest to them from the start. There was no need to fear such a helpful person.

"Erm, Morrigan?"

"What is it."

"They would like to know if we will arrive at your home soon." Aria pointed behind her shoulder to the three paling men.

Beside her, Alistair jumped in shock she even had the gall to ask. Morrigan must have rolled her eyes before turning to Aria to stare at her on curious expression.

"We will arrive…momentarily."

"Thank you."

"Whatever for you silly girl?" Morrigan looked oddly taken aback by the smaller girls jester.

"You're showing us to your home for the treaties we were tasked to bring. Without your help we would have had to come back in failure." She pointed out.

"…Uh…Greetings mother." The witch suddenly said as the sound of a creaking door from an old cabin indicated an old woman with graying hair coming out. Her sharp, unusual eyes traveled from Morrigan's to then fall upon Aria. Brown eyes furrowed before a feeling like her stomach left her to leave an empty feeling in her body over came her. It was such a feeling that it left her scared yet overcome with vague familiarity.

Why was that?

Brown eyes shifted nervously to the others around her, but from their expressions she could guess they felt something, but nothing like what she had just gone through at the sight of the woman. The feeling of familiarity lingered.

"I bring before you four Grey Wardens who—"

"I see them girl." Was the sharp tongued reply. Alistair flinched as her sharp eyes scruntinized Aria and the other Warden recruits before lingering on her and Alistair once more.

"Mmm…it is as I expected." She grunted and crossed her arms. The blond man by her side scowled.

"Are we supposed to believe you were expecting us?"

Morrigan's mother scoffed as the younger witch seemed to be trying very hard not to roll her eyes.

"You are required to do nothing, least of all believe. Shut one's eyes tight, or open ones arms wide—either way…ones a fool."

"She's a witch I tell you…" Mr. Shifty Eyes muttered behind Aria. "We shouldn't be talking to her in the first place. Aria wanted to sigh in annoyance, it felt like he was insulting her. But the oldest of the recruits spoke up first, finally a little reasoning…

"Quiet Daveth! If she really is a witch, do you want to make her mad?"

"There is a smart boy." The woman chuckled before a frown marred her face. "Sadly irrelevant in the scheme of things, but it is not I who decides. Believe what you will." She put an end to that conversation to start a new one as she walked up to Aria, the witch woman was a good head taller than her.

"So, what of you? Does your woman's mind give you a different view point? Or do you believe what these boys do?"

Lips pursed as all eyes on her side turned to her, she has apparently been tasked with keeping their hides alive. Odd seeing as the men were the ones with the pointy swords and daggers.

The elf didn't really understand the fear these men had for the two women, but shook her head nonetheless.

"I don't know what to believe in to be honest."

The woman chuckled.

"A statement that possesses more wisdom than it applies. Be always aware….or is it oblivious? I can never remember…" the witch shrugged. Aria looked up curiously at the woman with a raised brow.

"So much about you is uncertain…yet I believe too? I wonder why that is…"

"Huh?" Aria blinked.

"Never you mind child, wait here, I have your documents."

"Sooo…This is a dreaded Witch of the Wilds…?" Alistair muttered unsurely.

"Ahh, Witch of the Wilds, how Morrigan fancies those tales," Another dark chuckle from the witch erupted as she came back with a hand full of yellowed and old scrolls. Morrigan sighed with a her hand connecting with her forehead.

"Mother…" the dark haired woman groaned. "They did not come here to listen to your wild tales."

"Of course they didn't girl!" her mother huffed before handing Aria the parchments.

"And before that silly puppy of yours starts barking accusations once more, your precious seals wore of long ago."

Alistair looked honestly affronted.

"Hey!" And then he realized what he had admitted to being. "Hey!"

"'Tis true boy and don't deny it. I can see your tail wagging already."

Aria giggled awkwardly. This was swell and all, but she wanted to go now.

"Thank you…for protecting these." Aria dipped her head slightly

"Of course, now take them and tell them this Blight is far more than it seems."

"What do you mean? Is there something the Grey Wardens have missed?" Alistair asked tensely.

"Oh don't mind me…Just the ramblings of an old woman. Now, Morrigan, since these are your guests, why don't you see them out to the edge of the Wilds?"

"Ugh…Yes mother…"

Aria eyed the old woman through her bangs as they turned to head back to Ostagar. The woman's yellow eyes never left hers.

* * *

 

"Hello again." Aria walked up to a leather clad man. The moans and barks of Mabari came from the tall wooden fence that kept them at bay from running amuck.

Seeing her arrival, the man in charge of the Mabari's care grinned down at her.

"Hey there yourself, heard your party just got back from the Wilds, even found one of our arriving caravans.

"Is sira Cousland ok? He had a lot of wounds from that attack by darkspawn?"

"After the mage's got a hold of him he's as good as new. If a little sore." The soldier shrugged. He made himself comfortable as he leaned an arm on the wooden fence, a mabari barked; he beckoned her over to do the same.

"So what do I owe this visit for?"

Aria smiled as she handed him the pouch that had been buckled to her hip.

"I think you were looking for this."

With brows raised curiously, he took the pouch from her, opened it, then proceded to give her the most thankful smile she'd ever been given. A gloved hand pulled out the flowers he'd mentioned to her.

"This is exactly what I've been looking for, wonderful. I got to go make that ointment."

"Glad I could help."

* * *

 

Being the last to make for the bonfire Duncan waited by Aria waved a small hand to his direction. She welcomed the warmth of the fire against the chilly night and the warden's pursed look.

"I see now that everyone is gathered it is safe to say you all made it back, if a little worse for wear." Duncan eyed the petite woman, more specifically her new attire hiding the burnt and hardened flesh where she was certain it would leave a lasting scar.

"…It doesn't hurt as much." The elf looked guiltily up at her savior. "Really…I-I can still fight."

Duncan gave her a stern look, she thought he would be about to say something when he shook his head and nodded in acceptance. Aria hid a pained look by turning to examine the ground. It still burned.

The salve Alistair had given her just after the attack had dried and flaked off. She noted it must not have been very well made, or imbued with magic for it to last such a short time. The arm that took most of the impact still lay stiffly at her side. She had made it a point not to move it, if she did she could feel her skin peel and crack. It made her sick, just as the fighting had.

"Alistair told me what happened." That was the end of that topic. "I've also handed the blood you've gathered to the mages to prepare it. We can begin the Joining immediately."

Did I really find this so fascinating?

I don't even know what the ritual entails.

Nonetheless, Aria simply pursed her lips and nodded. Duncan lead them away from the fire and across the camp to one of the many ruined buildings, this one looked like it could have been from some long forgotten temple. They walked to a raised, circular platform with no ceiling of any kind to block the view of the strange night, unwrapped from the hold the grey clouds had had on the sky all day. She glanced up longingly at the freeness of it all. The star studded inky blackness that stretched until she could no longer tell where it began or ended. It was the same sight she got to witness the night she left the Circle for good.

This time however, that feeling of freedom and wander was not washing over her. That late afternoon after realization dawned on her after making that first kill any notion of joining the Grey Wardens just to bolster their numbers for this possible Blight left a sour taste in her mouth. She was still flattered Duncan thinks she had it in her to become something so great…But now, she just wanted to run from the fact she was no longer a student on the arcane arts any more. She was a conscript. A soldier. And she didn't think she would be able to raise her staff to kill another creature, demon or darkspawn.

Alistair cleared his throght and brought her out of her morbid thoughts to trail her brown gaze over the stone table in the middle of the platform where a singular, larger silver chalice sat. Its surface shimmered in the moonlight. Aria guessed it must have diamond dust mixed into the silver as well, the little rainbow flashes across the metal armor of the men and her tunic every so often caught her attention.

"So what exactly is this Joining think you've knotted us up into?" Mr. Swifty Eyed Daveth asked.

The senior Warden's voice was grave.

"I will not lie, we Warden's pay a heavy price to become what we are. Fate may decree you pay your price now rather than later."

"Is that way you have it so deep in secrets?" Aria spoke. As Duncan looked down at her she could see the tiny, minute flinch she caused him. Her eyes must have shown the truth of her thoughts. He did not seem to be able to give her any condolences. How could he? He was the one who brought her here, a silly little Circle mage who only was only eighteen and didn't know a thief from an upstanding citizen. Duncan seemed to recover from her sorrowful gaze by his next comment.

Maybe she could hold onto that little bit of hope and naiveté?

"You would not have been chosen if I did not think you had a chance to survive."

These were words the mage had to trust. Because she couldn't run, there would be no place for her. And nothing but execution for her crimes to wait for her.

The other recruits found some comfort in his words too as they spoke their eagerness to begin the ritual.

"Maybe we'll all die either way." Daveth shrugged.

"Let us begin then." Duncan spoke as he stepped towards the table and chalice.

"The Grey Wardens were founded during the first Blight, when humanity stood on the verge of annihilation. So it was that the first Grey Wardens drank darkspawn blood and mastered their taint."

And then everything in Aria's stomach promptly disappeared, leaving a gaping hole and feeling of emptiness. Emptiness and realization at what Duncan brought forth. The foreboding liquid that rippled on the very edge of the silver truth the man held in his hands. And Aria was now definitely sure she was going to die tonight.

The red haired knight seemed to more openly show his repulsion than her. She had heard his gasp before the two Wardens had time to look.

"We're….we're going to drink blood from those…..those creatures?!"

It was hard to stomach the truth when someone states in out loud. The mage's returning stomach quietly gurgled in distress as she felt bile burning her insides.

"As the first Grey Warden's did before us, as we did before you. This is the source of our power and our victory." Duncan's voice was gravely yet unpleasantly even.

"Those who survive become immune to the taint. We can sense it in the darkspawn and use it to slay the archdemon." Alistair alleged, trying to uplift the steadily growing heavy atmosphere. It sadly didn't help, Aria didn't miss the little detail of: 'those who survive'. Someone, or all of them were going to lose their lives. Aria had no choice in the matter, she could do nothing but accept this offer now. She knew the hidden secret of the Grey Wardens and she was sure, even though he had been so kind to her, Duncan would not let her go with a slap on the wrist. Even if she promised not to tell.

"It is also why the Joining is a secret, those who survive are forever changed. It is the price we pay to save the innocent." Duncan solemnly whispered.

"We only speak a few words prior to the Joining, but these words have been said since the first."

Alistair cleared his throat.

"Join us, brothers and sisters. Join us in the shadows where we stand, vigilant."

Aria saw the knight begin to sweat.

"Join us as we carry the duty that cannot be foresworn."

Her small head lowered, eyes falling on the shimmering chalice. She also noticed the knights hands itch towards the hilt of his blade.

She paled.

"And should you parish, know that your sacrifice will not be forgotten and that one day…we shall join you."

Aria saw red even before the middle aged knight tried to back away. The glint of his own blade falling from the risen temple floor and into the shadows of foliage below. Duncan had ended the man's life before he could protest anymore. She and Alistair looked away. She never asked the man his name, guilt and terror came over her.

"I am sorry…But there is no turning back."

* * *

 

In the end, Daveth died too. The taint took him. Aria watched with wide, frightened eyes as she witnesses the blood in him darken, his veins became visible while his skin turned sallow. The screams will haunt her forever.

And then, he fell to the ground in a convulsing heap until the movements stopped. Alistair gulped and turned to the elf, she decided to ignore the man since Duncan was all ready reaching out his hands to hand her the fancy container of blood.

"…Duncan?" she murmured almost inaudibly, she took the chalice into her hands. It was cold and weight surprisingly little except for the blood.

"Yes Aria?"

"….If I die, can you apologize to First Enchanter Irving for me?" she smiled ruefully.

"Whatever for, my girl?"

"I lied remember? Please, return the stone if you survive this terrible thing happening to our home." The blue creation of nature she had brought was still with her, she put it in the same pouch she'd stored the flowered for the mabari keeper. Duncan nodded.

"Whatever you wish."

Aria stared at him for just a moment more before tilting her head back and letting the vile taint burn her from the inside out. The shriek she let escape from her lips was like nothing she had ever heard from her mouth. Aria fell to her knees and let tears flood over her eye lids as her vision blurred and focused on things that could not possibly be there.

Blood.

Monsters.

Poison.

Death.

The last vision to hit her before there was no more, was the image of a creature that could never be described in books with scales covering its body head to toe in an inky blackness that only hinted at crimson head in the dull flashing light of her mind. Its large protruding fangs hung from its roaring maw in jagged, haphazard rows and its beady ebony eyes glared down at her as if she were nothing.

And when she had finally had enough, her body gave out and she was void of any color, sound, or feeling.


	9. Rising Tension

Something cool and rough was the first thing that Aria could register in her thick, heavy mind. It brushed so softly against her forehead she almost didn't feel it over the ticklish sensation of stringy hair being pulled out of her eyes. The roughness halted as she let out a moan of pain as the throbbing of her cranium was the next thing that broke through hazy thoughts.

"Aria?" was muffled somewhere close to her. She grunted this time for the muffled sound of her name, no matter how soft it was, grated on her sensitive head.

"Aria, you're waking up right? Please, wake up!" the voice pleaded, it was much clearer and the gentle touch of what she thought must be a hand was cupping her face. The hand was warm to the touch and dry compared to her icy skin, wet with sweat.

Through the throbbing pain of her skull eyes squinted open to a blurry world. There was a happy noise.

"Aria, Aria can you hear me? It's Alistair!"

She bit her bottom lip as she tried to form a coherent response to the Warden.

"Mmgur…" she mumbled after a pause. There was a snort before the hand on her face patted her sickly cheek gently.

"Glad to see you so eloquent with your words."

Vision clearing inside the darkness of wherever she was, Aria let her eyes adjust and her mind to clear as she slid her arms sluggishly out of their fuzzy blanket to push herself up.

"Alistair…I'm…I'm alive?" she almost couldn't believe it as the blond man wrapped his hands around her to help her sit up. She moved her legs to the edge of the cot she was laying on and let stale, cool air numb her toes.

"Yeah, but it was a close call." He breathed a sigh she guessed he had been holding for a long time before he pushed the blanket around her shoulders to keep the elf warm. They sat in relative silence as the human watched her blink and wake up after what must have been the worst sleep of her life. Flashes of her vivid dreams clashed with her clearing mind and made her flinch. She had witnessed so much violence, the monsters had clawed at her, tore her skin away. Her body tingled in memory. It all felt so real, like she really was being eaten alive by old gods and their minions.

Other parts of her dreams were filled with battles and disgusting, green magic that make her own twist around inside her in agony.

The dreams had affected her in such a way she could never think possible until realizing she survived the Joining. The blood of those beasts that haunted her dreams was now coursing through her and trying to force its way into the arcane part of her, trying to taint and corrupt that magical side of her that could so easily destroy her. She needed a moment to adjust, but the concerned look Alistair was giving her gave her no time.

"It's trying to take me over…the taint." She supplied him.

"That…shouldn't be possible if you survived, the corruption should have been conquered." He hissed.

"Yes, but you don't have to deal with energy from the Fade running though you, keeping you vulnerable to thinks like corruption and possession…I my need a moment before…" she trailed of and the warrior furrowed his brows.

"I'm not leaving you, You've been out for two damn days screaming your head off from the nightmares! Andraste's flames! You had every Grey Warden and soldier here wriggling in discomfort until you stopped, we thought you died!" He yelled at her with a childish cross of his arms.

Aria flinched.

"T-that bad?" she whispered. Alistair say the look of hurt in her eyes, his warm brown ones softened as he laid a large hand over her head and rubbed.

"At least your heart never stopped beating, Duncan let the biggest sigh go the moment I told him you were still breathing."

"…Soo, two days?" she shrunk in on herself as a wave of nausea churned in her gut. She would win against this blasted blood now that she at least knew she hasn't died.

"Yeah…How are you feeling? Is your magic whatever…uh, adjusting?"

"…I'm going to be sick." She warned, turning a sallow color. The man jumped up with wide eyes before thrusting a large lipped bowl in her direction. Not a moment sooner did the young woman grasp the bowl and hurl her little heart out. The bile was acrid and metallic tasting, it burned her insides as did the moment the blood from the Joining go down her throat two nights prior. What came out of her was nothing short of grotesque.

She could feel the Wardens' eyes on her as she vomited thick black, terrible to taste, vile. Sweat one more broke out against her flesh and she could feel one of her companions hand rub her frail back as she heaved and choked. Tears pricked at her eyes and when she finally stopped to cough and suck air back into her lungs, Aria was left holding a defiled bowl of vomit mixed with blood and some kind of build up that had the constancy of tar.

Alistair handed her a small jug of water and she gratefully eyed it as she set the bowl down next to her to flushed out her mouth of the taste of the taint that tried to take control of her. It took a few mouth fulls and spitting into the dirty bowl before she thought her stomach settled enough to gulp down the rest of the water that had been offered to her. Thankfully, Alistair stayed silent through the whole ordeal with only one or two disgusted looks at the thick, fowl smelling substance in the bowl before them. When she had well and truly settled down with a slouch he finally cleared his throat.

"That was…uh, new?"

"…Sorry…" she mumbled guiltily for making him watch such an undignified display. He shook his head.

"I don't really want to know, but I've got a terrible habit of asking things I shouldn't so, what the hell did you just upchuck into a once very nice bowl?"

Aria looked at him just as grossly curious before running through what little knowledge she had from the Circle on Darkspawn and their effects on the populace.

"Um…I think maybe the part of their blood that turns women into Broodmother's." She rubbed her raw throat as she croaked. Alistair made a sickening face.

"Broodmother's?" he asked, Aria shrugged.

"I read something about women taken by Darkspawn turn into monsters." She elaborated, "I don't know anything beyond that other than a Deep Roads survivor's journal calling them Broodmothers."

"Ok…I wish I never asked. How about we get you out of your almost death bed and get you cleaned up? You look…well…" Alistair scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

"I look like I came out of the Fade possessed by all sorts of evil, don't I?"

"You said it, not me." He smiled and held a hand out to help her to her feet like the gentleman he is.

The touch of the ground beneath her bare feet was cold and hard, the dead and partially frozen grass gabbed into her tender feet like little knives and she flinched.

"Your boots are by the bed if you want them." Alistair informed softly, she eyed them, but shook her head. With her legs as unsteady as a newborn fawn, she doubted she would be able to stand back up again until every bit of her was back in working order and not a taint sickened mess. Never mind the whole fact she beat and concurred her taint, it still made her body feel as crappy as a mage just beaten into submission by an overzealous Templar.

Leaving the boots and leaning more onto Alistair than his nervous heart could take, he lead her out into the crisp air of Ostagar. It was cold and frigid breezes sent teases of the warmth of nearby bonfires. A few people stopped in their choirs to take note that the newest Grey Warden recruit had finally woke up from her two day nightmare. There seemed to be relief as well as curiosity in their studious eyes.

By the time Alistiar had lead her to a long, thickly layered tent where he explained baths had been set up, her feet were numb from the cold. He sent her in with a towel of his and told her to come meet him and Duncan by the same bonfire as before.

It took a few minutes to heat the water with a mild fire spell before the mage stripped to nothing and sank into the bubbling water with a tired sigh.

* * *

 

After a very embarrassing experience in seeing her first dangly bit from a warrior coming into the bath tent after a hard day, both perpetually screaming their heads off, Aria swiftly ran from the tent, fully clothed and drying her short, ruffled hair back to the tent she awoke in to pull on her boots.

Riding her memory of the experience from her mind she walked quickly to the fire where Duncan and Alistair sat over a fallen column with a bowl of stew. Despite the still uneasy twist in her stomach it growled. Not eating for two days affected her greatly as she scampered over to her superiors just as Duncan noticed her.

A tired smiled greeted her.

"Good, you finally join us I see." Duncan's voice greeted her as he handed her a filled bowl of stew that made her dry mouth water.

"I will require your presence tonight at a meeting with King Cailan and Tern Loghain." He reported. Aria raised an eyebrow silently in question as she chewed.

"For some reason the King wished for your presence specifically among the Wardens." He elaborated.

"…As you wish." She murmured unsurely. She was but a new Warden…an elven mage at that! What could she possibly have to offer the King and his allies that a more senior member of the Grey Wardens couldn't provide?

Still, as the cloudy sun set to rise up a cloud covered moon and lanterns were lit Aria followed Duncan down the uneven cobblestone path surrounded on either side by sturdy bottom halves of what were once very tall columns of chiseled stone. Her nerves, still shot from waking up after the Joining, were even more frazzled as she walked with stiff steps and a small stride. Duncan had tried to reassure there was no need for her nervousness and to just be silent and listen to the strategies they would be going over in the wake of battle.

She tried, really she did. For about five seconds before a hard fist slammed into the war table, a feeble wooden one that wobbled. Aria jumped and looked up with wide eyes at Duncan who just sighed as he lead her by the upper arm to the king and other important people. Her brown eyes obviously flashing with her want of not being there.

"Loghain, my decision is final." was King Cailan's stern voice as the Wardens approached the table. A couple others turned to grace them with a nod before turning back to watch the argument unfold. The fist that had slammed against the table had been the kings; he was glancing up at an older man with lank black hair tried out of his sternly set black eyes. They both wore heavy armor, one more polished to hid the many scrapes and repairs, the other, golden set, too polished and with no blemish to hide.

"You risk too much, Cailan! This is no time to prance around with the Warden's to play hero with an oncoming Darkspawn Horde." Argued the man with the scratched armor in an even, if demeaning tone.

"We don't even know how big their numbers are Loghain, it could be little more than a small army for all I know." King Cailan shrugged as he turned to the presence on the late arrivers.

Somehow, from the look Duncan shot the King she doubted this was more than a 'small army'.

"I do not think you should assume so little of the threat of a Blight my King." Duncan nodded to the older man named Loghain before he turned to her.

"I have brought my newest recruit, a mage." He pressed a reassuring hand over her tiny shoulder when all eyes turned to her. Aria gulped as she looked up, wide eyed and unsure of her reasons for being brought to the table as steely black eyes looked down upon her.

"Ah, great! Wonderful for you to join us Sira Aria." King Cailan smiled down at her boyishly. Duncan cleared his throat to gain the attention of the gathered group once more.

"It is actually quite a good idea to bring her along." He started, the look in Loghain's eyes towards her didn't think the same however.

"Then enlighten us Duncan, what use is a fledging mage Warden amongst a party of season warriors?"

Aria flinched.

"It has been brought to the attention of many Warden Scholars that Warden's with closer ties to the Fade and their dreams are more sensitive to sensing the taint of Darkspawn. Aria, more than any other Warden here will be able to grasp the number of Darkspawn that we have been sensing getting steadily closer to us for the last eighteen hours." He revealed. Aria craned her neck up to her Commander with frightened disbelief as the churning in her stomach started once more in familiar signs of vile wanting to rise to her throat as the pen prickles across her skin that had started in her toes rose to such an intensity that she tried to rub the sensation from her arms with her hands.

Duncan eyed her with a grave and knowing look.

"…Like pin pricks across your whole body growing stronger and sharper is it not, Aria?" he murmured. And faintly, she felt herself nod.

"It…it started out as if there was a whirlpool in my stomach, then pin pricks on my toes." She murmured to no one in particular.

"Go on." Her commander pushed. Aria gulped as the sensations of pain and sickness washed over her like filth.

"The more I focus on the feeling the more intense it becomes, it feels like claws running down my back, invisible arms grasping at my sides….oh Gods….Duncan…" the elf's blood ran cold as horror filled her with ungodly visions she interpreted as how the Wardens sensed the Darkspawn. She unsurely grasped onto her Commanders arm, shielded by chainmail as she felt her knees grow weak.

The two most imposing men in the group stared at her differently.

"Speak, dear girl." Duncan commanded her and she wished with every fiber of her being that what she felt and was she was visioning was a lie.

But, somehow she knew it wasn't.

"It is more darkspawn than I have ever seen….hundreds…maybe thousands, Duncan, please!" She whimpered meekly.

"I don't like this, it makes me sick." She gasped. Duncan squeezed her shoulder tightly to steady the small mage before turning his attention back to the King.

"How many Aria?"

"…."

"Aria."

"….A horde, they far outnumber the forces here." She admitted.

There was a heavy since that befell the men and women around the wobbly war table. After what seemed like hours King Cailan was the first to speak.

"If that is the case, then maybe we should wait for the Orlesian forces to join us after all."

Yet, Loghain sighed in aggravation still and pulled his judging eyes away from the elven Warden who was in the midst of a mini panic attack to glare at his nephew.

"It seems I must now repeat my protests to your fool notion that we need the Orlesians to defend ourselves!" the aged man hissed. Aria felt it was best to stay quite now in hopes of not gaining the attention of the two men as their previous argument she walked in on started up anew.

With an exasperated sigh, the king continued. "It's not a 'fool notion'"

"Our arguments with the Orlesians are a thing of the past…and you will remember well who you are disapproving of." Cailan ground out.

That seemed to be the end of that conversation.

"How fortunate Marric did not live to see his son hand Ferelden over to the ones who enslaved us for a century!" Loghain spat.

….Maybe not…

"Then our current forces will just have to do. Duncan, are your men ready for battle?" the King turned to the man.

Aria shivered. This was really it.

"They are, your Majesty." The bearded man nodded. The air around the table seemed to thin out as the tension left the golden king.

"There, now that that's out of the way, I understand congratulations are in order!"

With that, large, gloved hands came to clasp her smaller one and squeeze joyously. Aria's eye twitched at the slight pressure on her newly scared hand, its flesh still tender.

"You were the recruit I met the first day she arrived, it's a great pleasure to see you awake again."

Aria gave a questionable smile as she nodded her head slightly. She didn't trust her mouth right now, the experience was still fresh in her mind and the fact she just had to practically tell everybody of a higher rank than her that they were in deep shit with the Darkspawn closing in was not weighing right in her gut.

Saying there wasn't much of a choice when it came from either drinking blood or getting a dagger in the gut wasn't something she felt the need to reveal. However, with the king ever oblivious to her inner plight, took her silence differently and began to speak once more.

"Every Grey Warden is needed now. You should be honored to join their ranks." His smile towards her was warm and triumphant.

Truthfully, now she felt nothing more than fear for what joining their ranks meant for her health.

Aria was naïve and wistful, but blind she was not. This upcoming battle would more than likely kill her before she could do anything else Grey Wardeny.

The scoff from the man she now found currently scrutinizing her again seemed baffled she could even be considered a Grey Warden. With barely reaching the height of anyone's chest with skinny arms and a sallow complexion she hardly looked the threat the other warriors were going for.

"You fascination with glory and legends will be your undoing Cailan. We must attend to reality!"

"Fine, speak your strategy. The Grey Wardens and I draw the darkspawn into charging our lines, and then…?"

And so the meeting went on.

* * *

 

It was decided that two men from the charging side would head to a tower farther into the ruins of Ostagar to light a beacon to alert Tern Loghains men to charge from cover.

It was decided that Aria and Alistair would be the ones tasked with lighting the beacon with a few other men from Loghains ranks. Then, with a dire warning about the chances of an archdemon appearing from Duncan, the meeting ended.

Cailan gave a glorious speech about marching into battle with his idols. Aria tuned the overly exuberant king out and watched with weary eyes as the one she knew as Loghain turned his back to them. He took a few steps before muttering something under his breath that she could not hear before leaving through the cover of shadow.

War was on the horizon and she was anything but prepared.

It had to be well around midnight as the mage approached the bonfire that had become the meeting grounds for her, her commander, and Alistair. The blonde human stood with a jolt from his troubled restfulness as he heard the two approach. Aria finally gave him a smile of relief before bypassing him all together and slumping against the collapsed pillar that was their chair. She let her pale face burrow into her hands and let out a stress filled shudder and muffled sob.

The men beside her were silent until she felt the heat from Alistair's side shimmy up to her tensely.

She muttered something unintelligible through her hands. Alistair told her he couldn't hear her.

Finally letting her swallowed anger get the better of her, Aria looked up from her hands to send glaring eyes up at her towering Warden-Commander.

"Why!? Why did you make me do that? I didn't know what in the hell I was feeling, or even what was going on! Why did you leave it up to me to warn them about some horde? What is going on damn it!"

It was a shock to Alistairs system as he fell back in surprise at the normally quite subdued elf shouting in sudden anger at Duncan. He let out a gasp when his back hit the ground after falling backwards from the pillar and just looked up at the shaking shoulders of the newest Warden.

She was far smaller than him. She was so afraid, he realized. For a moment, guilt crossed his expression. He had watched her so closely during the Joining. Every twitched, every frightened flinch. The ex-templar watched her eyes fill with terrifying realization as Duncan murdered the older knight for trying to run from his fate.

She had looked like she was going to be sick as droplets of blood flicked across the edges of her boots. Just like in the Wilds after burning the Emissary alive, she got sick then too.

Aria wasn't made for war. It was going to tear her apart until nothing but ashes and flesh was left.

But he didn't want that.

Alistairs mind was full of visions of the sweet little elf as she collapsed to the dirty stone ground and screamed with so much pain as she fought the corruption of darkspawn blood burning inside her. It was the worst thing he had ever witnessed, his Joining couldn't even compare as he had to hold her petite body down so the Healers could examine her to find out why it was taking her so long to wake up, why she screamed so much. It didn't even crossed his mind what dreams were like for mages.

The Healers from the Circle told him that dreaming was as real to a mage as walking in the waking world; they remembered every bit of their experience, every touch and taste. She was inside her nightmares and experiencing hundreds of years of the history of past Blights in first person they had said. And mostly likely the impending Blight happening in the present.

His own, unusually clear nightmares were nothing compared to her having to live through them.

He didn't leave her side after the screaming finally stopped. Alistair felt he owed her something, so he watched over her sleeping form and wiped the sweat from her brow and kept the other Wardens from peaking curiously at their newest comrade. She deserved her privacy.

So now that she had questions no one seemed to have filled her in on, he knew she deserved answers now more than ever before those thin shoulders shaking above him cracked and shattered into a million tiny bits.

"About a few hours after you lost consciousness after the Joining all the Grey Wardens in the vicinity of Ostagar started sensing darkspawn." Alistair finally gave her.

Aria swiftly turned to he's collapsed form with legs laying over the pillar in a haphazard mess. She gave him a twitch of up turned lips that did strange things to his stomach before gratefully helping him back into a sitting position.

"Duncan set a few Warden scouts in the direction we were getting that prickly feeling; they came back three hours later to report that a large gathering of the beasties were heading this way. A horde. We think it's the true start of a Blight." He revealed to her.

Aria sat there, still as a board as she let her companion fill her in on all the events she had missed.

"King Cailan didn't really believe this to be a Blight so we needed more proof other than the words of a few frazzled scouts. Mages…they have a closer relationship to the taint than any one man under the Grey Warden oath so…we needed you."

Aria blinked with obvious pain and confusion. Alistair gulped.

"You know the legend of how darkspawn came to be right?"

Aria nodded solemnly in understanding.

"Magisters tried to enter the Golden City of your Maker and became the first darkspawn…The first darkspawn were mages."

"And mages have the closest relationship with their dreams and sixth sense…" Alistair trailed off.

"I…see…." There was a pause as Aria took a few deep, steadying breaths. "So, me possibly being the only Grey Warden mage in the vicinity had a better chance at estimating our predicament against the number of darkspawn approaching?" she asked.

Duncan and Alistair nodded silently; she looked down and shivered at the sensation of the darkspawn drawing nearer with every step.

"I'm scared." She whispered with wide, fearful eyes. Alistair flinched, her voice was so small, the crackling of wood in the bonfire almost drown her out.

"We all fear the worst, Aria." Duncan spoke, "Our numbers only break the hundreds, you said to expect enemies in the thousands."

"This is a Blight, isn't it Duncan?" Aria looked up.

"Yes child and you are the one to warn us all."

Duncan uncrossed his hands as he peered over at the tense silence of the camp. Men were either in their tents trying to sleep or hastily preparing for the upcoming battle and shining and oiling armor.

"Prepare for battle you two. The enemy forces will arrive by tomorrow night if my instinct is correct and you two will need all of your energy." Their commander ordered. Aria and Alistair stood slowly and nodded before the larger of the two lead the smaller back to her own tent for rest she knew would evade her.


	10. The War has Just Begun

Just like she knew she would, Aria barely slept a wink the night before the Grey Wardens knew to prepare for battle. At the break of dawn, when she heard Alistairs voice through the jumble of commands and heavy footsteps to wake her up, the elf was already fully dressed an lying motionlessly on her cot. Her rest was troubled and filled with waking every hour or so from dreams and tiny noises from outside. Before she knew it, Aria spent the last three hours staring up at the ceiling of her leather and fur tent.

Hearing the warrior's request to enter, Aria gave him a soft acceptance and watched from the corner of her eye as he stumbled in wearing full armor. The dull metallic material glinted faintly from the few candles she set around on the small wooden table she had asked another elf to help her bring inside.

Alistiar shuffled around and grabbed the chair he used before when he watched over her. The expression he wore, tight lipped with dark rings under his eyes clued her in on just how much sleep her friend got as well.

Neither spoke for a time as the young woman of the two took the time to slowly rise from the cot to sit with her toes chilling on dead grass.

"Your toes are going to freeze like that…" the man cleared his throat and pointed a gloved hand at her bare feet. Aria looked down at her feet with tired eyes, her lips twitched, but she did nothing more that bend her legs into herself so her feet balanced on the edge of the cot. She wrapped her arms around herself.

Muddled eyes tore from her pale feet to wander onto her arms. They focused on the arm with the winding evidence of the explosion in the Wilds. Aria could feel Alistairs eyes start at her fingers, her wrist, up her arms.

She gulped and turned her head to look at the arm that didn't see as much damage. However, even there, from her wrist to her elbow on the backside of her arm was the rough, hastily healed skin of her new scars.

"I wish I could have warned you." Broke their silence, Aria turned back the the warrior, his brown eyes drowning in guilt.

"I was sent to keep you all from dyeing out right and yet…I manage to get one of you mangled."

Aria let a noise out through her noise and reached out to pat the man on his upper arm.

"I was being careless, I didn't know to look out for traps." She murmured.

"But…you had…really pretty skin."

"Alistiar…Do I have to attack you for sexual harassment?" she quirked a brow, despite the little blush on her cheeks. He blinked, realizing what he had just said his face broke out into a terribly red color.

"Wait-What! I mean—"stuttering, the elf watched him work himself up so erratically for something to explain himself. She smiled.

Unable to stop herself, even in the hints of battle to come, Alistair found a way to ease her mind. And he didn't even realize it. Her hand covered a small giggle as she calmed the man near her. With the air just a tad lighter around them, the mage had Alistair hand her, her boots to leave the tent and prepare with Duncan the plan of what will be entrusted to them.

* * *

 

The day had been filled with praying and tense silence as the soldiers prepared for the battle a head. As the dull gleam of the sun fell behind the horizon the air thickened with the warning of rain.

Lighting flashed illuminating the sallow gleam of Aria's face as she followed Alistair silently to the bridge that lead to the grounds of the Tower of Ishal. The torches of bright red fire did not warm the choking air. It was as if Mother Nature herself knew what was to happen on these lands and saw in unfit to keep tonight's rain and cool winter air at bay.

Winter has come early.

A platoon of armored men and women marched past the elf and her brooding companion to join the frontlines, outside the stone walls of Ostagar. Her lips thinned in dread, she was not envious. A noise came from Alistair and she turned her attention to the towering man. His warm brown eyes followed the platoon as if the search for someone in particular. She let her gloved hand find itself over his bicep, even if it had to be impossible for his body to feel the connection through his armor. Nonetheless, he looked down at her with barely concealed worry and anger. Her own eyes silently conveyed her own worry, and apology. Alistair was searching for one last glimpse of their savior, Duncan.

Duncan had ordered Alistair to join her in the mission to light Ishal's Tower for Tirn Lohgain's men to know when to join the battle. It was a decision Duncan said he made without a second thought. He knew Aria was underprepared for a battle, and he trusted Alistair own skill with the sword to be able to have her back without challenge. Alistair wasn't pleased. He didn't want to leave his mentor and Aria had tried everything she could think of besides bowing her head and apologizing to the human.

Alistair hasn't said a word to her since their roles had been explained. He charged off after Duncan, leaving her to her own devises before she had to meet with him to head towards the bridge they would need to cross.

It felt…lonely without his silly comments about the different people in camp.

Another flash of lighting illuminated the darkness around the two, there were no torches burning in the open area they walked. She saw his expression finally facing her. They held eachothers eyes before Aria gulped down her recovering nusea.

"Alistair…I…" she shut her mouth just as quickly as she started stuttering to find the right thing to say.

"Thank you for not leaving me alone…" she murmured at last.

The silence was drawn out as they listened to the archers take their stations at the bridge. Someone was shouting orders.

An awkward smile graced Alistairs lips before he looked down below, outside the stone walls the two stood at the top of and raked his eyes across the rising number of Kings men and Warden in their silvery armor and royal blue sashes. At the head of the army, sharp elven eyes pin pointed the golden armor of the King and metallic silver armor with a griffon shield of arms on the shield attached to the back of another.

"That's Duncan, isn't it?" she asked softly. Alistair nodded, eyes tight. She watched his shoulders tense and then relax, his leather bound fingers fiddled with the hilt of his blade. The hand guard was a lovely welded griffon she noticed.

"Duncan is far more skilled than the two of us Alistair, I'm sure he's the strongest Warden out there in the fields. He will come back to us." She murmured as she reached behind her back for her own staff. It didn't have any sort of griffon motif. The griffon, she learned, symbolized the wardens. She brought the magical device to her side and gripped it in a white knuckled grasp.

"I'm sure he will too." Alistair sighed and looked back to her and her shoulders that tried to hid their trembling.

"Look I'm- …I'm sorry I just left you like that, you can't be taking this any better than me."

Aria shook her head.

"It's fine, Alistair…Lets do this."

It was then, the first drops of rain started to fall and it didn't take long for the fat drops to multiply. Mother Nature held no mercy for the soldiers as a hushed silence befell the war grounds. Through the heavy scent of rain and mud Aria picked up another scent.

Down below the robed preistess's of the Chantry walked slowly and with a purpose. A metal container dangled from a chain as they walked through the lines of soldiers. Two more, she could see, paced across the bridge towards them. Their voices had been soft and only a murmur, all sound swallowed by the thick air around them. But as they approached closer a song as sweet as the apple tarts the cooks made a the Circle for holiday's reached her. Their voices like bells as they mixed together in a song she did not know. The scent of burning basil and some spice she couldn't recognize reached her nose from the metal balls the swung on the chain at their sides. Smoke escaped through the carved holes.

She looked to Alistair for clarification.

"They are singing from the Chant of Light. The melody was recorded as the song Andraste sang to her warriors before their first battle."

The priestess's sang an almost ethereal high note as one as they drifted into separate waves of notes.

"It's…breath taking…" Aria murmured as her throat constricted. In a long forgotten memory, Aria could vaguely recall her mother singing her to sleep with a melody of their ancestors. It had a similar ethereal quality to the words in the chant, but about two completely different subjects. Aria couldn't remember the words. But she can recall how it use to bring her to tears just as the war tune was.

"It is." Alistair agreed and pointed to the balls swaying at their robes.

"Those are incense balls; the Chantry women are burning basil for clarity of mind, and good luck and cardamon for concentration, confidence and courage."

Aria was touched, but a fresh wave of nausea and dread washed over her so quickly she reached out quickly for the rail of the bridge before she could double over. A rotting sense in the back of her mind sent off an alarm in her and she swiftly turned to Alistair who looked, not as ill as she, but certainly understood what she felt.

They were here.

Focusing on the pines before the clearing of Ostagar Aria could see the amber glow of torches through the devious shadows. They shifted and bounced. Aria gripped her staff even tighter if she could and forced herself to straighten as she looked on.

The Darkspawn were nothing but a mass of shadows from here, briefly lit up the color of a sickly dark green-brown mass. She didn't have to ask her partner anything else as they both stewed in the knowledge of what was about to happen and what they were charged to do.

The smell of basil and cardamom was long washed away from her senses now and a part of her had to wonder how long it had been since she heard the melodic singing of the priestess's.

And then the thunder struck, making Aria jump and the earth shook with charging monsters. Her pointed ears where now filled with the roars of beasts and barks of Mabari. Wide brown eyes watched with baited breath as the moving shadows got closer, the fear she felt made her ears bend back like a felines and she was sure Alistair could see the trembling in her shoulders when the lighting struck. However, he said not a word, too transfixed in his own sick wonder and fear of the encroaching Darkspwn.

And then the Mabari were freed and arrows flew. Aria felt a pull on her shoulder as Alistair pulled her from the hypnotic activity of watching a dog, decorated in war paint gouge a Darkspawns throat out. Briefly, she recalled glancing back at him before she heard King Cailin cry out.

"For Ferelden!" he roared over the rain and guttural cries of the enemy. From their higher vantage point Alistair and she watched the soldiers spill from the gates of Ostagar. They were so many.

Looking up at the raging Darkspawn, many still shrouded by the darkness of the pines. But they were even more.

Searing heat from above a whoosh of hot air made Aria look up in time to see a volley of burning stone and boulders vaulting into the air towards the beastly enemy. Brown eyes followed their path until they crushed an unknown number of opponents.

Alistair pulled at her arm again, this time he shouted.

"Come on, it's time to go!"

Aria pursed her lips and nodded as he let her grip her sore upper arm tighter and started running across the stony, uneven bridge soldiers were still running out off from beneath them. She shook of her companions arm as she ran ahead of him; his armor weighed him down and made her run at an awkward pace. She didn't keep her eyes straight ahead, she scanned the ground for cracks she could trip in, soldiers she could accidentally shove.

In hind sight, she would joke with Alistair about it later that her shifty gaze was probably what had saved them from dying too early into the battle.

The surrounding was suddenly too bright; Aria could see every rain drop as it splashed into growing, slippery puddles. She had to look up as she felt the air warm even as the biting chill of the rain stabbed at her.

The mages screamed in disbelief as a scorching bolder far larger than even Alistair flew towards her and the warrior. Alistair, not noticing the flaming mountain of death zooming towards them, crashed into Aria who, for all intent and purpose, just hit a dead stop.

Stumbling, Aria shrieked for Alistair to stand behind her just as her magic enveloped her. Alistair obeyed surprisingly quickly as she outstretched her arms and sent an almost transparent layer of light white-blue energy around her and her friend. She heard Alistairs gasp of horror at the burning rock and most likely the feeling that must have reached him from the magic running over his body in a protective bubble. And all too quickly were the two of them knocked back by the sheer force of the bolder that collided with the shield she threw up around them.

Alistair hit the stone railing to the bridge, and even through all the noise of battle she was sure see heard a crack from behind them. The crack of course, could have also been her head hitting the front of her companion's armor.

She had to blink away the spots of white light that blinded her vision in dizziness as she forced herself to stay conscious and keep the shield up to protect the two from any other flying boulders.

The two were halfway across the bridge before another flaming pile of nature flew at them again. Alistair held her by the shoulders to steady her slighter form and saved them from taking another tumble as they ran, closely together, to the end of the bridge and to where she had first arrived into Ostagar from. They had a five second reprieve from the unforgiving rain as they ran under the stone archway several stories high and wiped the water that gathered at her forehead and eyelashes away.

Glancing again at the warrior with her she watched him do the same before pointing to a spot somewhere in front of them. When the rain was once again upon them they came too another of the large, burning bonfires that lit up the camp grounds. The fire was the only way Aria was able to spot the two human men who came running down from one of the many ruins, shouting at each other before spotting the elf and human pair.

Both pairs met with each other unconsciously closer by the fire to try and soak up what little heat wasn't washed over by icy Ferelden rain.

There was fear and shock in the expressions of the two soldiers.

"You-You're the Grey Wardens, aren't you! The tower…" One man stuttered, but had to stop to take in a breath. Alistair's eyes locking onto the two men.

"What about the tower, are you Lohgain's men?" he asked, the other man nodded, but gulped as he looked back the way the two had come.

"The towers been taken!" He informed in his own disbelief. Aria took a step back as shock overwhelmed her.

She looked up To Alistair as he pursed his lips in displeasure. The tightness of his eyes was the same as when he looked down at Duncan. It was a look she took as disbelief.

"What are you talking about, man? Taken how?" His usually pleasing tenor when up an octave.

Panic was starting to set in as her heart beat did not slow, but quicken to something fast than when she was running. The armored men pointed back to where they came, faces grim.

"The darkspawn came in through the lower chambers of the tower! They took us by surprise; most of our men are dead! Maker, they are everywhere!"

Through the broken archway, Aria looked up to the dark, solid form of the Tower of Ishal in the near distance. She bit the inside of her cheek as the twisting taint and nausea in her head indicated that there was indeed, many darkspawn near to them. She didn't know what to do and looked up to Alistair for his decision.

"Our mission doesn't change; we have to light the beacon!" Alistair faced the men with a stern look. Aria gulped down her Grey Warden senses and nodded, it was she who ran in the lead again with Alistair close behind without any other need to communicate.

If she was going down, she might as well act as if she had the courage to do it while taking some monsters down with her.

Maybe it was just the cardamon talking.

She could hear another pair of footsteps from behind them, the soldiers who greeted them was following them.

Around the other side of the archway the group came upon a clearing surrounded by collapsed walls and a cracked statue of a man with sword and shield. The mage's attention shifted quickly away though as Alistair alerted her to approaching darkspawn ahead down the path they must continue on to get to the tower entrance.

The group continued in caution until a sharp whistle of air zipped past Aria in a vaguely short distance. There was a sharp intake of breath from the elf before there was a garble gasp from behind. Turning swiftly a hand was brought to her mouth as she gasped at the sudden death of one of the men with her. She gulped down the feeling of bile rising as she watched blood spurt from the man's punctured throat. There was a thump most grotesque and it reminded her of the treatment Duncan gave the older knight who wanted to run from the Joining. She squeezed brown eyes shut and turned away to summon a ball of blue.

Blue fire that didn't burn engulfed the tangled serpents of her staff head. Eyes scanned for the enemy as Alistair went on ahead to draw then out.

She prayed to her ancestors gods he wouldn't run into a surprise attack.

Another arrow then whizzed past her from above, Aria looked up into the beady eyes of a darkspawn archer. Refusing to the need to gulp once more, Aria steeled herself and waved her staff in a wide arch above her and watched the arcane engery fly towards the enemy. It made a yelping sort of noise as it tried to jump away from the magic, only to be caught in the side as she attacked again. The blue wisps caught flame and torched to monster.

Aria was already running to join Alistair who yelled for assistance before she could even watch the body drop.

The mage's eyes widened as she watched Alistair take on two darkspawn at once. There were human soldiers nearby; however, they had already fallen before the two Grey Wardens arrived. Biting her cheek once more the elf raised her free hand as she ran and a wall of bright red-orange flames from another burning fire came alive at her command.

"Burn me a wall flames…" she whispered her herself as she commanded the fire as she had been taught. Her warrior Warden jumped back in shock as a wall of fire swept across the field between him and his enemies. Darkspawn shrieked, the Warden quickly recovered and struck the monsters down with a powerful swing from his sword.

He turned back as Aria and the other soldier joined his side.

"A little warning would have been nice don't you think?" Alistair raised a brow to his friend. Aria gave a sheepish smile.

"Sorry…I'm not entirely use to the concept 'friendly fire' yet."

"Uh-huh…"

"Mage's don't practice in groups, Templars get scared." She explained.

"Let's just get on with our field trip." Alistair rolled his eyes, but ruffled her elf's short hair. She smile just a little wider and followed on.

The raised platform before the path leading up to the towers entrance was well guarded. The group of three hadn't gotten but around the corner before Alistair pushed Aria out of the direction of an oncoming arrow.

"Bring the archers down, this guy and I will get the foot soldiers." Alistair demanded of the elf who shot her head in understanding. The magic erupted from her staff again as the two men charged forth. She sent a group of arcane bolts flying past the two men and watched them hit the wood of the archers stand. She sent another wave as a volley of arrows were let loose, the mage had to run into cover from a small cluster of stones she believes were once a wall. She ducked and heard an arrow pierce stone and the clash of steel on steel as Alistair's blade connected to another.

Peaking over her cover, Aria focused on the still alive archers as one aimed for the unnamed soldier. She furrowed her brow and waved a bolt of energy from her staff, it barreled into the enemy before igniting it with magical flames. She left her cover after the last archer let another arrow fly and grabbed hold of the fire that surrounded them. Another wall come to her allies aid and swept across the wooden stand of the last archer and set it ablaze. She was sure it would collapse and left that darkspawn for dead just as another broke through her wall and charged after her. Eyebrows rising in alarm, Aria raised another wall of fire. It ignited her foe, however, by some means of psychotic, animalistic furry, it ignored her fire and raised its weapon at her.

Wide eyed and unable to dodge, Aria lifted her staff to her aid and set up a shield. Almost as soon as her magic guarded her did the force of the physical attack shake her to her knees. The soldier raised its weapon to ready another blow, Aria kept her arcane shield up. The force bent her elbows and brought her to her knees as sweat formed at the back of her neck as she struggled to keep the staff up. The darkspawn made a noise somewhere around a gurgle and a laugh as its blows came quicker. She could hear the ringing of metal upon magic and grit her teeth and cast a fleeting glance to her companions.

Alistair defeated another one, she gasped out as another attack forced her staff end to slam into the ground to steady herself.

"Alistair!" she pleaded and looked up to her opponent. She raised a hand and surrounded this beast of an enemy with cold arcane bolts. Its body burned a fascinating combination of red, white, and purple as it screamed in presently felt agony before being cut down from behind. It bounced off her shield grossly as the elf looked up to see Alistair. She sighed in relief as he quickly helped her to her feet. Without another word the three regrouped and carried on.

The path raised as the land leading up to the Tower of Ishal was on a slight hill. The stone paths were uneven with aged and Aria practically stumbled into the entrance of the stone fortress as she pushed the doors open with a grunt.

The doors grinded the stone at their feet and came to a heavy thud as it closed. Aria and the two men leaned on it and breathed heavily as they took this one chance to catch their breath after the intensity of the battle outside. Aria leaned her head back onto the door and let her eyes fix onto the ceiling. Her eyes prickled with tears, from adrenaline, maybe, from anxiety, most definitely. She let out a strangled sob. This would be the one time she let go, just this one moment of reprieve before they continued onto this crazy, ruined light-the-tower chore.

Warmth flooded her eyes and blurred her vision before Aria squeezed her eyes shut. The unnamed soldier let out a strangled, awkward sound to her left at what she assumed was a reaction to her little break down. Aria's heart felt like it would beat out of her chest, her throat felt constricted and thick with all kinds of emotions she couldn't name all at once. And it felt just a little better to let some of it free and wash away with the tears she had held back since the Joining Ceremony.

To her right a hand found her shoulder and squeezed so gently she barely registered it. Alistair stood to her other side. She wiped away the waterfall from her eyes and it stayed free of tear just long enough for her to wearily register his own tense expression. Pursed lips, trembling hands and frown lines marred his slightly tanned forehead.

"…We can't fall now. They're waiting for the beacon." The young elf woman watched his Adams apple bob as he swallowed what she thought would be a gulp. Aria brought the heel of her hands to her eyes and rubbed once, hard and rough. The tears stopped and what was left was rubbed across her temp to dry.

She looked to her partner, nodded, and then gripped her staff once more.

* * *

 

The fight halfway up the tower was wrought with spawn after spawn of enemies. Somewhere along the way they had lost the last soldier they met up with at the start of this little beacon escapade. Now, probably an hour into the climb Aria leaned against a bloody wall, her staff forgotten at her feet. The exhaustion set in after the third floor of nothing but fighting. The elf's sides pulsed in soreness not only from that one darkspawn who had slammed her into a pile of debre. Her fingers refused to flex beyond the shape they took when gripping her staff and her legs burned from running.

Lifting an arm she flinched into herself at the feeling of sweat coating her everywhere. Maybe it wouldn't be the darkspawn that killed her tonight, but the total amount of energy she exerted from fighting.

Right now was a rare moment where after the two Wardens scored the floor and killed anything that moved and was allotted a short break to catch their breath before moving up to the next floor.

"Makers breath…" came Alistair's exhausted groan from where he collapsed on the ground, his once gleaming armor was stained with blood splatter from numerous kills. The elf considered looking his way to acknowledge she was listening, but decided on a noncommittal grunt instead.

"What are these Darkspawn doing so far ahead of the rest of the horde? There wasn't supposed to be any resistance here!" he sighed heavily before making a motion to wipe his sweat covered brow with the heel of his palm before he saw the state of his bloody gloves, sighed, and tore off a piece from a nearby tapestry.

Aria took a deep breath to steady her raging heart before she even bothered to grace him with an answer of her own.

"Weren't you upset that you couldn't join Duncan in the front lines at the start of this?" she asked. Alistair snorted.

"I know, right? We men just can't make up our minds."

Aria couldn't help the extra effort it took just to laugh a little, but it quickly evolved into a breathy wince as she gripped her side and slid to the floor.

"Everything hurts Alistair…" she breathed. She had never fought or killed so many things in her life.

"Come on…we need to hurry, shouldn't be too much farther, Teryn Lohgain will need that signal." He huffed and used his sword to help him to his feet. He walked over to her and waited for her to compose herself, which was really more of a challenge than he made it look. Her heart rate was still erratically high, sweat made her feel hot and stuffy in her tight robes and the bruises she's gained along her body from attacks she couldn't dodge were slowly making it harder and harder to lift her arms to defend herself.

But she straightened up, even though her body wanted to refuse her every command and marched up the next flight of stairs with an equally battered Alistair.

They ran as fast as they could the rest of the way until the two came to a door more ornately carved than the rest of the heavy oaken doors. When they finally burst through with the last bit of energy they could muster what greeted the Wardens was something that twisted Aria's gut and brought tears to her eyes with renewed vigor. A beast, twice the size of her blonde companion crouched in the center of the open air room. It's bumpy purple-brown skin looked rough and hard to the touch, muscles bulged and pulsed with protruding veins. The beast was covered with minimal, hard, spiked armor dripping with the blood of its enemies. Horns poked out of its head, they had to be as thick as her.

There was a sickening crunch and the fresh, choking scent of new blood filled the damp air. A squelch that made the two of them flinch back and then suddenly the sound of something pouring onto the ground. Aria watched, pale faced and sick at the sight of what this beast threw over its shoulder. The bottom half of a soldier.

Aria felt her sweat suddenly coat her body in a layer of cold as fleshy organs streamed behind the dead and broken legs of the disembodied soldier. It did a little flip and gave the two a scandalous peak at bloody bone. It hit the ground she realized was littered with dismembered body parts and swimming on pools of blood. The smell had hit her hard, the sound made tears streak down her face. And the image of dozens of humans dead and dismembered, their bodily organs falling out and heads frozen in wide eyed horror made her loose what was left in her stomach right in front of Alistair. Stomach acid burned her throat as she choked on the combined terror in the past thirty seconds alone.

Alistair was open mouth and gasping for fresh air even as he choked back his own feeling of sickness and prayed to his Maker.

The beast at the center of all this carnage decided to turn to them, its newest meal and gave the Warden's a perfect view of savage, razor sharp teeth. Its flattened, wide mug was messy with blood, some was flaking of. It roared garbled nonsense at them and Alistair pleaded for Aria to stand as the monsters footsteps shook the ground they stood on.

Aria looked up to this otherworldly monster and wiped away vile from her lips with wide, hopeless eyes.

They would have to get through this massive darkspawn before they could even think of lighting the beacon.

Aria looked up at Alistair, his jaw was set in a hard line, he was focused solely on the opponent before them. She looked back and summoned a wall of fire just as the beast began to charge towards them. They leaped out of the way on either side, Aria landed on her side just as the Ork crashed into the wall. The tower rumbled and she scurried to her feet as she made another wall of fire on her side. Alistair charged while the darkspawn savage had its back turned. He roared a mighty cry as she heard metal collide with rough hide.

Backing him up from the cover of fire she attacked with bolt after bolt of arcane magic. The darkspawn did not stay stunned for long and headed for her wall of fire once more. She shrieks and ran as fast as she could as rumbling footsteps crashed towards her. Aria chanced a glance behind her and felt any warmth the fire provide her clammy skin ran out. The beast didn't even look burned as it ran through her fire. The mage gulped. The massive steps ran closer to her and her mind faintly registered Alistair calling her name. She sent a blast of magic from her mind to try and slow her pursuer down, but it didn't work. Her blood ran cold as she felt a massive force throw her back. Her feet left the ground and she screamed as she flew so far away Aria had thought she was thrown straight off the tower when she felt rain hit her exposed face. With a hard thump, Aria felt herself flip until she skidded to a halt somewhere on the balcony of the tower. Her nails dug into the cobblestones as her feet dangled off the edge of the outside balcony. The mage choked as she tried to force air back into her lungs, the force of the attack had sent all the air right out of her.

"I-I'm ok!" She shouted to Alistair's frantic shouts. Scrabbling back to her feet and coughed once roughly and watched in surprise as the wet stone splattered with the blood she spat out before the rain water washed it away. She blinked back painful tears and swallowed the left over metallic taste of blood to run back into the fray of battle.

Alistair leaped up to the Ork's back just she joined him and dug his blade all the way to the hilt of the blade into the creatures back. There was a most blood curdling roar that she bit the inside of her cheek to suppress a sob before summoning flames t surround it. She forced it to burn brighter, hotter, than just the usual fire and she smelt the fierce stench of burning flesh at last as Alistair jumped free from the beast, leaving his sword and watching the flames surround it. The Ork wreathed in pain as the flames, burning a white hot blue, brought the beast to its knees before falling to its death.

Both Wardens took the time to stand and watch the monster burn. With their breaths heavy and a sour victory hanging in the air Aria stood with most of her weight on one leg. Her scared arm held a very pained side. She might have broken something from that orks attack on her. Brown eyes looked away from the burning body, satisfied that it was dead, but not nearly as happy as she probably should have been. Scoring the room she saw a pile of dry wood positioned under what she supposed was a chimney.

"Is that where we light the beacon?" she tilted her head to the wood and Alistair followed. His lips pursed and he nodded. Aria limped up to the wood and heaved a heavy sigh. With this, the soldiers on in the battle below should get some reprieve from their dwindling numbers. Duncan would get the assistance he needed and she could get Alistair to go and join his mentor and watch his back like he wanted to.

The fire sprouted from her raised hand without a thought and she watched the fire burst to life and climb up into the chimney.

She and Alistair made their way to the balcony to watch their signal be received and their forced get the help they so sorely needed. From above they heard the roar of fire that wouldn't go out so easily. Alistair breathed a sigh of relief as he set his hands on the railing.

"We did it."

"We did." She sighed with a tired smiled. With shoulders relaxed, she watched the roaring warriors below them, many had fallen, but a cheer rose in the distance as the beacon was noticed.

"That's right; go kick some darkspawn ass Duncan." Alistair chuckled, and then winced in some form of pain. The two watched in silence as they waited for the shadow or reinforcements to arrive below. But after two minutes of no sign of extra men on the battle ravaged camp grounds a sinking feeling started to overwhelm the elf.

Brown eyes watched closely for anything, anything to indicate Teryn Lohgain's men coming to the King and Grey Wardens aid. The hand at her side clenched into a fist as she turned to Alistair stiffly.

"W-What's going on? Have they arrived yet? I can't tell!" The panic rose in her high voice and the blonde man tensed at a suddenly dreadful realization.

"No…Oh Maker no…" he gasped as he looked down at the dwindling numbers of Ostagar's troops. The angry red of growing flames drowns out the dark dots of moving fighters. Aria pleaded for so softly for Alistair to explain to her. Why weren't they coming?

The doors to the top floor of the tower were blown open, but Aria didn't seem to hear as she and Alistair looked at each other with equal parts dread and disbelief. And then, through the sound of rain against stone was the whistle of an arrow. Aria felt fire burn into her scared shoulder and the expressions that ran across Alistair's face before a club hit him from behind.

The beacon failed.


	11. Rise Up

Life after death wasn't as cold as one would expect. Of course, she never expected any form of some Maker or Andraste to welcome her into a heaven-esque sort of afterlife either. But it was definitely warmer.

The sounds of familiar snap and crackle came from somewhere far away as the dead or dying elf drifted into what she could only suppose was ghostly awareness.

There was the sound of shuffling off to her left now and light footsteps of a shoe with a raised heel on it. A heavy eyelid was commanded to lift and appease its elven controller of her mindless curiosity. Images blurred into a mix of earthen colors. A buzzing in her head made her close her eyes again, the snap and crackle from the other side of her faded into the buzzing and the mage didn't find the power to lift her lids again until the buzzing and heavy feeling in her skull eased off for just a moment.

Brown eyes slowly blinked back into existence, and she learned that while the pain in her head had gone for now, it did nothing to ease the weakly throbbing pain of her shoulder. Aria assumed she must have lived then. In some crazy, disbelieving miracle, she lived through being thrown across a room by a giant Orc and then shot with multiple arrows. For a split second, Aria had to blink her own silent disbelief. At the rate she was defying odds her luck was sure to run out sooner rather than later.

But that was neither here, nor there. She was vaguely aware she was no longer collapsed onto wet and cold stone, but on a bed. An old bed that needed to be stuffed with more hey that she currently thought was the softest thing she's laid on before all this madness consumed her feeble life.

But where was she and how did she end up here…in this…cabin; she realized just a bit too slowly. Her neck was sore and it hurt to move it. Yet she did so to catch a glimpse of the dark figure that pulled away a leather tome from an old and rotting bookshelf that really should be replaced.

The figure was of a woman, for that she was sure as brown, swollen eyes studied the dark maroon ribbons of cloth across her back with a draping heap that must have been used as a hood to pull over her perfectly pinned ebony hair. The dark hair was pulled up into a messy bun with strands that poked out of there hold in occasional spikes. Clay beads hung from her neck and gold sparkled, there were beads dangling from her hair as well, she noted.

Aria let in a sharp intake of breath just as another wave of her head pains arrived again, there was a scratching ache behind her eyes that joined with it. Her eyes squeezed shut. A scratching, gnawing sensation raged against her as images of bloody beasts and guttural whispered tried to seize her hazy mind. This time for sure, the woman let out a small, pained hiss, she wanted so bad to move her hands to her head, to block out the whispers, the visions.

This time the small sound caught the attention of the dark haired figure. She turned, with sharp eyes centered on her form that could only lay unmoving on the bed, stiff as a board.

"Ah, So, finally awake I see." The voice was drawled out and board, but it was a voice Aria could vaguely recognize from somewhere. She knows she's heard it at least once these past few days. Or was it only a few days? Aria has no clue how long she's been out of it.

"Mother will be pleased to see you lived."

Morrigan.

The name popped into her heavy mind in just a second after the dark witch spoke. Her footsteps approached and her pale hands reached out to the petite Aria and tugged her up into a sitting position. Her body screamed at her, wanting her to pull away from the Wilds witch and curl back up into the knitted blankets that covered the bandages that wrapped up much of her body. The blankets slipped away to her partially nude body. Despite herself and the situation, Aria found her cheeks flush in embarrassment. Morrigan didn't bat an eye lash though and just ran over the elf's form to check to see if the bandages were stained with fresh blood. Her skin, young and scaring where it was burned tingled and felt tight. Aria shivered even though waves of warmth washed over her from the nearby fire.

Aria looked down to study the bandages, there were many, she noted. She must have sustained more injuries than she first assumed when she was still conscious during the battle. Around her legs and completely covering her feet that she assumed was littered with popped blisters were completely wrapped up to her knees. Only one thigh had a small bandage stuck to her skin with some form of poultice. She vaguely recalled a stray arrow catching her there. The ones around her waist needed to be changed. They were stuffy and what she believed to be dried blood was causing a massive itch to make her shift uncomfortably. A cloth wrap was politely tired across her chest to preserve her modesty, but did not take away notice from the still new soreness of where an arrow shot through her scared shoulder. The bandages also were scratchy with old blood.

Aria looked back to the scrutinizing gaze of Morrigan.

"W-What happened? Where did all the Darkspawn go?" she asked, her voice broke so easily from lack of use. Again she had to wonder how long she's been out of it. Aria swallowed back a miniscule amount of spit to wet her dry throat.

"You were injured and then Mother brought you back. Do you remember?" The witch shrugged noncommittally.

"Wha…" Aria had to furrow her brows as she looked through her final memories of the Tower siege. Her blood ran cold as she recalled the confusion, why hadn't the beacon worked? Where was Duncan, the other soldiers? Did they make it?

"The other soldiers…Duncan and the King…what happened to all the others?"

It was the subtle look of grief that the mage caught in the witches brief expression before the light eyed woman blinked and let the feelings be buried in cold indifference.

"The man who was to respond to your signal quit the field. The darkspawn won your battle."

The two held each other's gaze for so long Aria almost forgot why she had stared at the witch in the first place. She ran Morrigan's word over and over again in her head, picked apart every syllable to understand the meaning, to wrap in around her mind. What she realized with stone cold dread that made her already frigid body freeze over was the fact that Morrigan made to mention on her mentor.

Where was Duncan?

Another thought for that matter, wide eyes looked around the modest, if dusty swamp dwelling. Bile and fear sent her blood from her face. Where was Alistair? A cold sense of dread washed over her as she stared up at the witch.

"And, Alistair?" she asked.

"He is not…taking the news well. He woke up the day. His injures will heal with little help. You however…"

"I'm fine. May I see him?"

The woman huffed silently before pointing a figure at a nearby chest.

"We have mended your clothing. Come out when you are ready." Morrigan said as Aria sent her a thankful nod. The elf clutched at the bedside table to steady herself as she stood. Her legs wobbled, but she did not fall. The other woman took a few steps to leave before turning back to the mage.

"Ah, and do try not to open your wounds." The witch turned away, yet Aria spoke up once more.

"Morrigan?" she rasped. The witched looked back.

Aria looked down at herself, bruised and partially nude. She felt a sting of embrasment, however, it was nothing compared to the anguish she felt in her soul. If what Morrigan had told her is the truth, then she should have died, Tern Loghain was to be her murderer.

Yet here she was alive, if barely, and one of the only survivors of a battle taken far, far too lightly. What was she to do with herself, a newly appointed Grey Warden ignorant to any such life outside the Circle of Magi. She couldn't go back there now, she would certainly be killed for her crimes committed in the first place.

Aria let out a long suffering sigh and looked back to Morrigan.

"Thank you, for saving us." Even if I have no where left to go now, Aria sighed more to her inner thoughts than the furrowed brow that she receives from Morrigan.

"I…" The dark haired woman made a face, Aria wondered just a little if she was use to hearing words of thanks. Probably not, from the looks of it.

"You are welcome, though Mother did most of the work, I am no healer."

"Still, I am grateful, surely I—" Aria sighed heavily through her nose as she frowned. Surely she should be dead. Morrigans mother coming in to save them out of all the more experienced Grey Wardens she could have saved…it was dumb luck.

"I left the stew cooking, I will take my leave." Morrigan interrupted as she walked out of the room to leave the elf to her self-loathing.

Running a hand through her short hair as she limped to the chest that held her belongings she made a disgusted face at the feeling of flaking dried blood and grease. Her body was lacking the dirt and grime from the battlefield; however, during however long she was out she had not bathed. Morrigan though, seemed to have taken pity out her patient and at least wiped her down with a cloth at some point. She reminded herself to take a bath at some point in time, she didn't like feeling dirty. Thinking back on her life now, bathing times were regulated in the Circle and everyone had gotten to bath at least once every three days. Not everything about the Circle had been hell she supposed.

There was a struggle to fit her trousers over her bandaged legs without hurting herself. Every movement she made hurt and the arrow wound in her shoulder was in a state where it could easily be torn open again. She pulled through though and walked out just as she buckled the leather shoulder guards to her tunic.

Outside the light was mottled and faded, trapped between spindly swamp trees and muggy fog. She noticed from the corner of her eye the frame of the elder witch as she knelt down in an over grown garden, plucking at strangely colored plants. Her crackling voice spoke over the thick silence of the swap.

"He is by the water's edge child. Thought full of nothing but sorrow I find too troublesome to deal with." She said without turning to face the younger girl. Aria blinked tersely, a little off put at who the woman had even known she was there or even what to say. Yet, she followed the woman's instruction and took the painfully few steps into the bog that hid the slouched form of the only Grey Warden left alive.

With knees pulled up to his chest that held tell tale signs of also being bandaged the blond man kept his back to her as he flicked a pebble into muddy waters. The dejected slump of his back pained her. He, probably more than her, has lost everything. Duncan and the Grey Wardens had been his saviors just as much they hers. He known Duncan longer than her, had build a bond of father figure/mentor and plucky apprentice. She had seen it in the way Duncan had spoken to him that day before they went to gather blood. Aria brought a heavy hand to her equally heavy heart. Her hand made a fist that irritated her scars and she swallowed thickly. She was all he had now in reguards to family she supposed. His sister in arms. It hurt, but at the same time made her eyes prick with tears of relief that she too, would not be alone in whatever was to happen to them now.

"Alistair." She croaked as her dry tongue licks dry lips. His movements were quick and sudden as the broken man turned on his feet and placed a wide eyed stare down at her. She could see the simple joy in his growing grin as his warm brown eyes took in the sight of her. Bandaged, but breathing. Alistair blinked swiftly a dozen times before stumbling to her on uneven ground and wrapping muscled arms tightly around her slighter frame. Aria grunted with the pressure his bear hug put on her, but found an arm, nonetheless finding a comforting spot on his back. She felt his nose dig into the back of her neck as she was flattened against a hard chest. She was sure he smelled the effects of an unspecified amount of time without a bath. Yet, his repeated whispers were far to sincere to pull away from.

"You…By the Maker, you're still alive. I thought…" he sighed into her like a child, happy to see his mother after a long time apart, and even if it pained every part of her to let him hug her, she would give him this. They have both been through much and he seemed to take solace in the fact she was alive with him.

"No…it doesn't matter what I thought…you're here, I'm here, and we're alive…"

The elf felt his shoulders sag and she took this chance to finally tap his shoulders to tell him she needed space.

"Can you…I still hurt…"

"Oh! I—" Alistair quickly released the elf and placed gentle hands on her shoulders to steady her as her knee's qwivered. She caught one hand on her shoulder and sent him a reassuring smile.

"Thank you…I'm sorry I worried you. I'm…I-I'll be fine, Alistair." She murmured to him so softly he almost didn't hear her over the crickets in the dim light of whatever part of day it was. It was so hard to tell in the swamps of the wilds.

"That-that's good, good…ah…" the warrior boy sighed and rubbed a dirty hand on his face. Mud streaked his cheak, but he ignored it. His expression dazed and miserable.

"It just-None of this feels real. Are we really the only ones left after the battle? If it weren't for Morrigan and her mother, we'd be dead up in that tower. Wouldn't we?"

Aria shook her head in silent agreement. She squeezed the hand on her shoulder. The stench of earth and rot that made up the wilds embodied the emotions she was sure was a collective of sorrow, guilt, confusion, so much between the two wardens. She was glad for this moment of silence as she went over what Morrigan had told her. Did Alistair know?

She spared a glance up to the man and caught his eyes with a silent question she wasn't sure she should even bring up in this brief time to mourn what they had lost. He seemed to understand though and solemnly lowered his head with a muted curse.

The peace between them, however, did not last as the creak and hollow thud of the old wooden door thudded against the equally old cabin. Morrigan spoke then in that voice that always seemed to make her sound so put upon.

"Dinner is ready, if anyone cares to talk over a bowl of stew." She informed before strutting quietly back inside. The man made a strange noise at the back of his throat.

"I don't trust the stew…It's been three days of nothing but soggy leaves and lizard tails. You would think they were trying to poison us."

"I'm sure you're over exaggerating, come, we should join them. Flemeth wants to speak with us.

* * *

 

He was right.

The stew Morrigan had made smelled just as the bog outside, gross and muddy. She politely asked for only a small portion and she was sure by the look the young witch gave her, she was well aware her cooking was maybe just a smidge below subpar.

The small group had clustered back into the tiny cabin to sit by the fire and eat their swampy stew. Flemeth had let her return to the bed to sit since she had still only just woken up and needed to preserve her strength. Alistair was promptly sent to the dusty wood floor at her bedside.

"You know, the only thing I don't really understand about those whole situation, who exactly did you save us? I was decked out in fully heavy armor was I not?" Alistair started up eventually. The mother looked as unfazed as her child as she swallowed a spoonful of their meal before bothering to give an answer. Looking down from her wooden chair she looked closely at the both.

"I have a bit of magic in me. At least enough to save you."

Alistair hummed softly and Mr. Swifty Eyes comment came into her head just then.

"We never did catch your name." she murmured. "If you have magic and at this age, be very strong. You live all the way out here where the darkspawn first started popping up."

"Yes, compared to you, my girl, I am on both accounts. But to me named have no meaning, but if I must, the Chassind in this land call me Flemeth."

Alistair choked on his food where he sat and looked up at the woman with speculative eyes.

"Wait..the Flemeth? Daveth was right—you're the Witch of the Wilds, the ones from the legends—aren't you?"

"Does it matter?" the old woman scoffed as she handed her bowl to her child. Still she seemed so impassive, her voice a slow crackle that held more than she was willing to speak about. This was a legend, Aria thought to herself as she stared at the woman, her own dinner forgotten on the bedside table as she listened to the witch of lore herself.

"I know what you are thinking boy, and you must push away your grief for another time." Flemeth murmured, Aria watched the pained look come across her companions face and knew he thought of Duncan then.

"As my mother said to me: 'Duty must come now.' It is the duty of the Grey Wardens to stop this growing shadow casting itself over Ferelden." Flemeth stood as she spoke and motioned for the two Wardens to do the same. She walked back across the small room towards the doo

"And it will always be the Grey Wardens duty to unite the lands against it. Or has it changed while I wasn't looking?" She eyed the two. Both bloody and sore, neither could really answer. Aria didn't know how.

"But…The Grey Wardens, they are gone, wiped out by the battle at Ostagar." Arai looked down at her hands in guilt.

"Have you forgotten about yourself and this man? If you think small numbers make you helpless, then yes, surely you are defeated." The witch threw back.

"But we were fighting the darkspawn! King Cailin nearly won—but—Why would Lohgain do this?" Alistair pulled at his hair, Flemeth simply blinked and nodded her head.

"Now that is a good question. A man's heart holds far more darkness than any one creature with the taint. Perhaps he believes the Blight is an army he can out maneuver. Perhaps he does not see the evil behind it is the true threat." The woman spoke vaguely and a dark feeling washed over her. Aria's nightmare's flash before her eyes, the tearing of flesh and stink of spilled blood.

"The Archdemon…" Alistair sighed deeply. The was a thick silence between then, Aria noticed Morrigan watching them from the doorway.

"What exactly is an Archdemon?" she asked with a furrowed brow. "I understand it's the biggest threat during a Blight, but no one really told me why."

Alistair rubbed squinted in the loose cover the fog gave the three to look down at the elf.

"No, I suppose you never really did get a full: This is what happens during a Blight talk like most of us did after we joined." He sighed. If only there had been more time.

"It is said that the Maker banished the Old Gods worshiped by the ancient Tevinter Imperium deep underground where they sleep forever in their prisons. These Old Gods are sought after and awakened by the Darkspawn and become tainted. It is a tainted Old God you are up against."

The stories in the history books she would read in the tower had so very little about the events of the first three Blights. There was, of course, the legend of how it first began, with the Tevinter Magisters, Old Gods and formation of the Grey Wardens. Back then, as a little girl sitting in the lecture hall it was nothing but a tale to her. To be honest some part of the elven mage had never taken the tales of the Maker and Old Gods at face value. For what god would call their children sinners or monsters for what they were born into?

Aria set her lips into thing line and leaned her elbows to her knees. But hearing the information in such a way where what she had experienced first had in dreams and battle changed it all. Changed it in a way that had her head dizzy with fear and uncertainty. From beside her, Aria heard Alistair curse as the realization of what exactly two small Warden's were up against sunk in.

"Maker…What have we woken up to…" He groaned.

"Our situation isn't the greatest…and after what happened at Ostagar—Are there no other Grey Warden's we can call for aid?" The elf looked over to Alistair who simply shook his head.

"The only Warden's I can think of are the ones from Orlais, but we've no way to contact them."

"Then…" The tangled, scratchy feeling of the taint she had pushed to the back of her mind rattled the elf as she silently concentrated on it. It pulled and pushed at her mind and she had to momentarily close her eyes to ease away any lingering sickness. And as much as she wanted to run and hid, it didn't seem like this feeling the taint gave her woke allow any rest. It urged her with a feeling she was unfamiliar with, commanded her to seek and destroy. Aria was wary of this new piece of her, it told her to do things she was unused to and scared of. To fight, to protect, to kill. It was frightening, yet so comforting in knowing there was a path she could at least follow.

"Then I guess we must search for the Archdemon." She spoke finally.

"By ourselves?!" She heard the warrior gasp, if a little taken aback by such a decision on her part. "Think about this for a moment, no Grey Warden has ever defeated a Blight without half a dozen nations at his back. And frankly, I don't even know how we fight such a blighted monster."

Again, Flemeth's scoff caught their attention, Aria closed her mouth from her retort.

"What, how to kill an Archdemon? Or raise an army? If my memory serves me right, and so rarely does it fail me, but did you not come here to these woods not the other day to retrieve your treaties with the Circle of Magi and Dalish Elves?"

A spark seemed to have lit in Alistairs eyes as he made an unconscious movement to the satchel tied to his leather belt.

"That right…and, you know, surely Arl Eamon wouldn't stand for the blatent treachery Lohgain has committed to King Cailin and the Warden's."

"Do you really think an Arl would believe us over a Teyrn?" Aria asked. Alistair looked up to her with a terse look then looked away as if to stop himself from saying something unnecessary.

"I suppose…Arl Eamon wasn't at Ostagar though, and he still has all his men. And, he was King Cailin's uncle. Look—I know him, he's a good man and respected at the Landsmeet." Lifting his head again, the fire in the fire place lit the man's warm eyes a blaze with new hope.

"Of course, we could go to Redcliffe, appeal to him for help. And these treaties! Aria, you were a Circle Mage, surely there is someone you could talk to, to get the Mage's to see their help is needed to defend Ferelden. Because of these treaties, Grey Wardens can demand the aid of Dwarves, Mages, and other places to help during the Blight!"

The thought of setting food once more in the Circle after the events that left her conscripted into the Grey Wardens was not particularly pleasing to her. But Alistair was on a roll, his eyes shown strong again. She would have to swallow her own fear now then, as Flemeth had said; they had a duty to do.

"I see, these dwarves, Mages, and who knows what else…sounds like the beginnings of an army." Flemeth mused with a knowing smirk.

"So, you think this could work? Going to all these different places, gathering allies...build an army?" The warrior breathed.

Aria nodded, there was no other choice in the matter, they were Wardens, this was a Blight.

"It doesn't sound easy..."

Flemeth's chuckle broke through to them.

"Ah, when is it ever?"

"It's always been the Grey Warden's duty to stand against the Blight." Alistair agreed. " Right now, we're the Grey Wardens." He looked to Aria and caught her gaze. The petite elf nodded her head again and gave a tentative smile.

"Then I assume you are set then in your resolve? Ready to be Grey Wardens?" Flemeth asked.

The agreeable silence and leveled stared were all the answer the witch needed from them. The old woman snorted at what Aria hoped was determination in her expression.

"There is one thing I can offer the two of you before you set off."

"Oh?" Aria asked and Flemeth called for Morrigan who had not left her perch in the door frame. The young woman arched an eyebrow, but nonetheless made her way to join them.

"Will I be setting up the bed rolls another night, Mother?" she asked in a manner Aria understood as boredom.

"No, the Grey Warden's will be leaving shortly, girl. And you will be going with them."

"Such a shame—What!" Morrigan's head snapped back to her Mother's impassive expression with shock so clearly expressing on her wickedly lovely face.

"You heard me, girl." Flemeth chuckled, Aria was positive that she and Alistair were mirroring the young witches own expression.

"Um-well, that's really a nice offer but...if she doesn't want to…" Aria stuttered over what to say.

"Exactly, have I no say in this?" Morrigan raised her voice just the slightest, buther mother would have none of that.

"You have been itching to get out of the Wilds for years, here is your chance. As for the Wardens, consider it as repayment for saving your lives."

"Did you…" Aria spoke softly and Flemeths sharp eyes stared straight through her. She shook her head and sighed. "Very well."

"Uh, not to look a gift horse in the mouth but…won't this bring more problems than it's worth? Outside these wilds she is an apostate." Alistair pointed out.

"Humph, if you do not wish for help from us illegal mages, young man, perhaps I should have left you on that tower." Flemeth pointed out.

"…Point taken."

"But, Mother—this is not, I'm not even ready?" Morrigan ushered.

"You must be ready," Flemeth lectured. "Alone, these Grey Wardens must unite Ferelden against the darkspawn." Finally the old mother faced her child and with a strangely affectionate gesture, raised a hand to cup her daughters cheek. Morrigan furrowed a brow and Aria wondered how often the elder witch showed such affection.

"They need you, Morrigan. Without you, they will surely fail and all with parish under the Blight. Even I."

Morrigan's posture stiffened uncomfortably before closing her eyes to the spark of raw emotion only a child could have towards their parent, even if they tried to hid it. She sighed into the hand that held her cheek.

"I…understand."

"And do you understand?" Flemeth turned to the two, yet those strangely sharp eyes sent a shiver down her spine that only people looking directly at her could make her feel.

"I am giving you that which I above all in this world. I do this because you must succeed."

The old witch was definitely looking directly at Aria, she could see the way her head lowered to look at her wide brown eyes. So intend were they on her elven form, and so transfixed was she that a part of her was sure that under to cover of this bog, the witch's eyes glowed.

"You must."

"I…" Aria breathed in the rot and bile of the wilds, and then breathed out slowly to calm the beating of her heart that could quite possibly break her ribcage. "I understand."


	12. Can I Keep my Joy

Traveling was becoming something Aria felt she was going to have mixed feelings for. Vaguely, she remembered the first time she was taken outside the walls that protected the Alienage she grew up in; not for the occasional trip to join her parents to Castle Cousland in Highever either. The hands that had carried her out were hard and cold. The metal of the templar's armor scared her and hurt her. They locked her in a cage with a thin blanket hiding her from view.

It was such a traumatizing memory when she thinks about it now. The templar's escorting her to the Circle of Magi in Lake Calenhad made sure to feed her, to keep her warm. Yet, they were distant and they watched her, even through the cloth they threw over her transport she could feel their gaze daring her to try anything.

A part of her had sometimes dreamed of telling those men there wasn't anything she could possibly do to harm them. For many years she had thought about how to explain the pretty blue glowing balls she summoned as a light, to fend off the darkness she was so afraid, of could not burn them. But each time, she would wake up, still locked away as the carriage carrying her jostled her until the party made it to their destination. The trip had been long and cold. Her limbs were stiff and sore and she had stayed so tired throughout the entire experience that it had hardly been enjoyable.

Aria had understood nothing at the time, she was but a five year old child who was afraid of the dark and thought the world of the tiny glimpses of open fields when her barrier to the outside world flipped up from the wind. She did not enjoy the entire trip back then, and she never got to see the stars or touch the grass.

As a young woman, the next time she had been given, while forced, the opportunity to travel was when Duncan recruited her. The trip to Ostagar to go through the Joining had taken a couple weeks and gave her sore feet blisters she could still feel now as she journeyed with Alistair and Morrigan. The journey had been filled with comfortable silence or small talks and teaching her how to handle small blades. It was something she would look back too fondly.

However, with the company she was keeping at the moment, all Aria wanted to do was reach her hands out into her bobbed and greasy hair and pull. The tension amongst the three was near malleable. And while Aria might not think she was in any way making the tension. Between Alistair's tense posture and low grumblings she was unsure if they were directed at her or no one in particular and Morrigan's silent venom that just seemed to radiate from her there was enough negative vibes to surround the three of the travelers tenfold.

And all Aria wanted to do was run and hid, maybe climb a tree, and just take a minute to breath. As soon as the plans were forged, Flemeth had her daughter packed and pushed out of the wilds and on the road to the nearest village about a few days travel with the two terribly sore lone survivors.

Loathering, is what Morrigan had said the village was called. And how badly Aria wished they were there all ready could not be described in words. With Alistair's soft grumbling, Morrigan's dark aura, and one small, pessimistic elf caught in between, she was unsure the three would survive the night without someone's head either exploding, or being cut off.

She felt like she should say something. Although Aria liked her silent moments, there was no serenity in the silence that weighed down this group as they walked the open, flat lands of late afternoon Ferelden.

Lifting her head to stare at the back of the blond soldier, the elf bit her lip.

"Oh, what is it all ready!" the sharp tone of Morrigan sighed behind her. Out of sheer surprise at the fact the woman spoke up at all Aria whipped her head around, wide eyed.

"Uh, what?"

"I've been watching you fidget for the past twenty minutes, girl. What is it that you want so desperately to say."

At that point, the heavy footsteps of the armor clad Alistair stopped and he too turned around to cast a glance at Aria. He held a curious look, as if just realizing the elf was there.

"Well," Aria sighed. "We're going to be traveling however long with each other, right?" she asked cautiously. Two pairs of eyes glanced over at each other with identical scowls until they focused on her once more.

"Right…" Aria sighed as she lowered her hands. "Just, can we try and maybe…not look like we'll kill each other…before the first stop?" she tried, looking over to Alistair.

"Why are you so tense? Is it because Morrigan is a mage? But I'm a mage and you don't have that same 'I want to end you' look as you do with her."

Alistair looked a bit put out by the comment and groaned in exasperation as he brought a hand to scratch through his hair. He opened his mouth to say something, yet promptly closed it as she saw him think better of it. She waited for him to put himself back together after the words she gave him.

"Sorry…I guess—Look, I was a templar in training, you know how they feel about apostates. They are dangerous and have no control over themselves!"

"I beg your pardon?" Morrigan huffed as she crossed her arms defiantly.

"The state of my upbringing does not describe my knowledge of my own power. I am sure you've heard plenty of your Templar horror stories of your petty little Circle Mage's being possessed and out of control as much as these silly apostates."

"Yeah, well…I just don't like your attitude…" the blond man snorted childishly.

"How very mature, can we keep moving now? I would like to be ready to rest much farther from the Wilds than this."

The elf of the group gave the two a long suffering look before sighing.

"Mala sule'din nadas'Aria." She breathed under her breath as the blonde Warden furrowed his brows in a lack of understanding she was far too tired to be kind enough to translate.

At least, in the end, they got what they wanted to say off their chests. Maybe now their silence will be far more enjoyable for and filled with thoughts ahead other than Alistair's bothersome prejudice. Aria found herself sucking her lower lip between her teeth to worry it softly. She hadn't realized the ex templar's thoughts on mages were so…Black and white. It was troubling to her in its own right, for she understood the blind fear the Templars had for mage's they did not have under their eye. Yet, if all apostates seemed as well trained and natural in keeping their selves in check as Morrigan seemed, there really was no trouble Alistair had to worry about.

A little known fact mage's learn early on in the discovery of their powers was that it wasn't talent and a strict training regime that kept their arts in line and kept them from falling victim to a demon. It was a will as strong as the pull the Fade had on dreams. As long as a mage had a willpower solid enough to kept them in control of themselves, they could resist a demons temptation. For no mage wants to lose their true selves, their hearts or mind, the arcane thrived off of thoughts and dreams and a free will to create.

Aria shook her head with tight lips in Alistair's direction. Those that lived in constant fear or ignorance to the wonders of magic would never truly understand, and she felt just the slightest stab of pain that Alistair was as uncomfortable around another mage not under the oath as he apparently was around strangers.

Turning away from them she set back on the path they had been walking. Through the clouds she could tell the afternoon was starting to wane, it would be evening in a small handful of hours since the downcast sky of Fereldan caused the darkness to spread that much faster. Morrigan had the right idea, the Wilds were filled with an abundance of wolves and bears and Darkspawn. The farther away the three were, the safer they would be.

As she had hoped, a hush fell over the trio with far less tension. Going by the heavy feeling in her own limbs and aching wounds, Aria decided that it probably had to do more with the exhaustion that was washing over them. With her and Alistair baring still healing wounds traveling had to have been as hard on him as it had her. So it was with a look of appreciation when the senior warden had groaned out in exasperation and demanded they stop for the night or else his legs were going to give out. Morrigan agreed, but only if they set up a place to sleep off the dirt road so they were less likely to be robbed by bandits in the middle of the night.

The three settles on the other side of a wall of trees and foliage directly left and off the Kings Path so they would have plenty of coverage from snooping eyes, yet have the ability for them to be able to see the path directly in front of them.

Aria set herself to finding branches dry enough to burn as her breath began to show in white puffs. Ferelden nights were cold until the warm seasons came. There were only three out of the twelve and Molioris wasn't for another eight months.

Picking up sticks, conversation floated back down to the trio in a few words here or there.

"Shall we decide on turns for those to take a watch throughout the night? To make sure no one decides to sneak into ours tents, slit our throats and take out valuables?" Morrigan droned as set her fur lined bag to the side of a tree and pull out a cloak as an early night breeze whispered through the trees.

Looking up from piling her sticks inside a circle made of rocks like she had seen in adventure stories, Aria raised her brow at the witch.

"That sounds like a good plan, who wants to take first watch then after the others fall asleep?" she asked as Morrigan gave her a snide smile.

"I believe it should be our dear Templar here who should stay up first." She pointed out, Alistair flinched while in the midst of unstrapping the steel shoulder guards from his breast plate. He sent a withering glance the witch's way.

"Oh really? Of course you would," He muttered under his breath. "But why can't you, huh? It's not like you where thrown around by a giant ogre monster thing not even a week ago." He complained as the breast plate was the next thing he lifted over his head before setting it down with a huff. Aria's ear twitched as she caught the hardly audible hiss from him as he ran a hand tentatively over his side. Her lips thinned.

"He's right Morrigan, right now you are the strongest of us—"Alistair sent her a pouting look and she sighed, giving him a coy smile. "Excuse me, the one in better shape. You treated us both, did you not? You should know just how bad off our bodies are right now." Aria stood and wiped the dirt from her palms as she took her spot between the two in case more snarky dialogue with the two was said. The other woman looked no less amused than with Alistair's mild complaints. But Aria was tired and she was sure one of her injuries was bleeding again. So she had no patience for their barbs and wanted nothing more than a hot bowl of hot soup and a warm bed.

Morrigan scowled as she stared down a Aria, the elf gulped self consciously as she always did when she knew she spot out of term. A nervous feeling bubbled up her throat and caused it to restrict. For a second, she thought maybe the witch would argue with her so she became the first to turn her eyes away from the woman's penetrating gaze.

Morrigan sighed.

"As you wish then, I am, after all, here to assist you in this preposterous quest."

* * *

 

Nightmares and cold sweat woke Aria from an uneasy sleep in the wee hours of the morning. There was no faint glow from the bon fire outside so in the haze of sleep her first sentient thought was that the fire had died sometime during the night.

Aria lay still over the few furs that Morrigan had packed so all three of them would have something to sleep under besides the cold ground. Her quick, shallow breaths were all she could hear, she didn't know if anyone was still up, or keeping watch. No one had waked her up for her to take over during the night.

Aria opened her mouth to inhale one large mouthful of air and proceeded to exhale to calm her beating heart. The sharp stabs of still cool air cleared the haze of sleep as she lifted herself in a sitting position. Rubbing her eyes free of the last remnants of sleep Aria took the cloak she had left somewhere on the ground, then slipped on her boots to head outside to the air that was slowly warming to barely bearable. She swiped the cloak over her brow to wipe sweat away and walked out in time to hear Alistair sneeze. She looked over to him with a tired smile.

"Morning…" she greeted as the other waved her over.

"Morning, how'd you sleep?" he asked as she sat nearby with the cloak the only think to keep her from sitting is the dirt. Aria shrugged as she eyed the dead fire and sent a spark from her own fingers to bring it back to life.

"I…had nightmares." She sighed, rubbing at her eyes again. Alistair spared her a sympathetic look.

"Yeah…you'll have a lot of those the first few weeks, it takes a while for the taint to really settle in the wardens. But they only really slow down, never stop completely."

A sad peace wrapped the two wardens as they watched the fire. After Aria woke up it didn't take much waiting for the second magic user of their little group to woken up. They had a small breakfast of what was left of the gruel Alistair had over cooked last night to the point it was a lumpy, tasteless mess. Cheese and a bit of bread made it just barable enough to swallow.

Morrigan demanded he never be in charge of cooking again or they would die before anything was done.

By the time the three had finished eating, packed what few belongings they had and headed back down the road the sun was no closer to its highest place in the sky. It was a rare day where the grey-blue sky peaked through the heavy grey of clouds.

Her feet were still sore, but her boots didn't pinch as much. New bandages rubbed against her shoulder pads and while it was annoying, the elf could deal with it seeing as the wound where the arrow had pierced through her was closing well. Keeping the provided cloak tied over her shoulders to shield her from the cold their continuing journey was filled with the sounds of clinks of metal and the shuffling of cloth.

The sudden break from the sounds of nature, however, cause a great deal of surprise as a sharp howl pierced through the trees. Alistair, in all his paranoia, pulled out his blade. Morrigan and Aria gripped their staves that much tighter. A cacophony of grotesque sounds followed after the howl. It came from off the direct path as a collective of barks in quick succession came closer and closer. Without preamble or even a dramatic opening a Mabari burst from the bushes. The beast was a pale silvery grey with charcole black points. It landed easily on its paws and looked up at the group with a bark one pitch higher, its stump of a tail wagging vigorously.

"Oh…well," Alistair relaxed his fighting stance at the appearance of the war hound with a crooked smile. "That was anti-climatic." He sighed.

And then Darkspawn popped out from behind the dog and the man slumped further. Morrigan huffed and turned to glare scathingly at the man. As if it was his fault.

"You were saying?"

The fight consisted of at least twelve Darkspawn. It was long and painful, Aria was unable to fully lift of arm, the arm the arrows had pierced closest to. She and Morrigan had to resort to erecting barriers of her arcane magic and paralyzing the monsters. Forming a wall of fire to burn at their heels as Alistair and the dog mauled their enemies also helped a great deal.

When bodies dropped and Aria sagged to the ground to check her wrappings the unnamed mabari sat in the center of the carnage with a bloody maw and wagging tail.

It barked happily as the travelers stared oddly at it.

"Wait a…I think I recognize this mabari!" Aria waved a hand over to the canine cautiously, as if not a hundred percent sure. It obeyed easily and pranced over to the resting elf to lay a thick head in her lap. The pursed lips she had did nothing to hide the amused smile.

"Oh? Do you want a pat on the head? A reward for helping?" she asked like she talked to a small child, the dog obliged with another persistent bark and licked her palm.

"Awww, it likes you." Alistair chuckled as he went over to give it just as much reward. Morrigan, however, crossed her arms.

"This is all well and good, but can you not let the mongrel grow an attachment to us? I do not want it following us."

Aria didn't hear over her light peels of laughter as the brown beast hopped up on its paws to lick the elf's cheeks, bloody taint around its mouth be damned. Morrigan looked just slightly more disgusted than she does while looking at Alistair. The warrior shrugged.

"To late for that Morrigan."

"Can I keep him?" Aria looked up at the two with amused eyes as she held the large head to her chest like a child. All thoughts of abandonment never even crossing the young mages mind. Throwing her hands up in defeat, Morrigan sighed dramatically.

"Oh, if you must, but I want nothing to do with it—and he better feed itself!" the woman stalked off to go root around the fallen enemies for any valuable items. The two wardens looked to each other with triumph.

"What should we name him?" Alistair asked. Aria focused shining brown eyes to the newest member of the travelers, her expression thoughtful for however long before the mabari become overly excited and attacked the elf's face with kisses.

"Hey, come on now, calm down!" Aria fell back as the mabari happily found a comfortable spot to rest directly across her stomach. Her laughter dead down to a soft chuckle then. Alistair watched the little love fest carry on with his own laugh until it was a good enough time as any to help the mage back to her feet.

"Any ideas?" he asked again as the two pushed the giant dog off the young warden. She took Alistairs hand with thanks; even if it had pulled at her wounds, she hadn't minded the mabari.

Dusting herself off, Aria looked down at the expecting animal.

"Hmm…Uthnehn…maybe?"

"Ooth-what?" Alistair asked

"Ah…it's in the elvhen tongue, one of the few I know." Aria pat the dogs head.

"Uthnehn…it means never ending joy."

"…It's a good name then." Alistair nodded his agreement. With a call from Morrigan, who was already starting to continue down the path, Alistair snorted and called after that they were coming. Aria lifted her head to caste a sickly glance towards the rotted bodies of the Darkspawn.

Her gut still clenched and twisted in that sick feeling that made her want to vomit since the first time she slew one of those abominations. She turned away to watch the warrior's back, a long, still wet splatter of corrupted blood was splayed out completely ignored. The mabari, Uthnehn, whimpered softly just then and set its head in her small hand. She pet him subconsciously.

The elf wondered if she would ever get use to killing the monsters. With a thick swallow, Aria pushed the crawling bile back and shook those thoughts from her mind and catch up with the others.

"Come Uthnehn, we should be in Lothering soon." The elf murmured down as she quickened her pace to catch up to the two near a pale brick structure that grew in height as they climbed the stairs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Around the end of the Lothering arc, my dad packed up all the video games so I couldn't play through my Aria game. I ended up buying a pc version for my laptop and learned about mods. I have a mod on my Mabari that changed its design, so any mentions of it having brown fur instead of pale with black points is just me not going through the later chapters you edit it.


	13. First Impressions

Blood stained the bottoms of their leather boots and Aria made a strained expression as she unconsciously scrapped the heel of her shoe into the jagged stone that was clean of any blood. The sharp tang of human blood was another new experience alongside the stench of burning flesh of the victims she burned alive with her arcane magic.

Just another experience to add to the list of things that she wasn't use to and made her stomach clinch and bile rise.

She and her merry band of travelers were ambushed by a small bandit group outside the small village of Lothering. Aria tried to persuade then to let them pass, no trouble was wanted, or needed.

The bandits thought otherwise. She, Alistair, and Morrigan slaughtered them all. It was a bloody affair that left the smallest of the three needing to find a place to steady herself as she tried to come to terms that not only has she been tasked to forever kill Darkspawn until the end of her days…but she was officially capable of killing humans as well.

Wide, hallowed eyes looked up at the dreary sky as she wondered what kind of path she was going down and whether it was really worth it with the blood starting to stain her clothes.

* * *

 

Walking down the crumbling stairs to the sight of pointed wooden barricades and rickety old houses, Alistair whistled. Villagers scampered and slouched around the homes, several seemed to have set up camp around battered wagons and old mules. Young women in chantry robes stood on the edge of a fenced in yard with a large pot and stack of wooden bowls. They ladled what Aria thought must be gruel for the groups of scruffy refugees camping out on the streets.

"Well there it is. Lothering, pretty as a painting." The warrior at her side stretched his arms out in mock splendor. Morrigan crossed her arms and threw the man a look that was clearly not of amusement.

"You're joking; I assume that means you have grown tired of falling on your blade in grief. Too much trouble I take it?" the witch breathed easily. Aria sighed as the human man turned on her with such a dour look.

Glancing down at her pooch, the elf wondered if there would ever be a time when the two of them did not find the time to argue.

"You know, is it that difficult for you to comprehend my grief? What if your mother died? What would you do?" he questioned crossly.

"…Before or after I stopped laughing?" she asked seriously. The three and the mabari stepped down the stairs. Alistair, in his shock at such an answer much have missed a step as he stumbled before catching himself on the dirty railing.

"Right. Very creepy…forget I asked." He sighed.

"You clearly have want to ask them though?" Morrigan pointed out. "Or else why not spend hours on end contemplating your navel?"

Turning to them, Aria spoke.

"You wanted to talk? Hopefully not about more ways to passively insult each other…and witty as Morrigan's comments are I find my mental score being in her favor." The elf ventured with a nervous smile. Her companions eyed her incredulously and Alistair crossed his arms with a childish pout.

"Oh, not you, don't go over to her side!" He begged "What happened to Grey Wardens sticking together?"

"I apologize, I was unaware of that rule." She spoke honestly as they stopped short from entering the village. Nearby a small time merchant was being yelled at by a group of angry, dirty patrons.

"But seriously," Alistair rolled his eyes as he leaned his weight on a rickety fence guarding a small crops field. "we need to start thinking about where our next destination should be. It's all well and good that we've found ourselves in Lothering and out of the Wilds and far from the darkspawn. But soon they will march…and this is the first place they are bound to hit."

Such a revelation was a sobering one as the two women stood silent in contemplation. Uthnehn sat stark still as if the mere thought, voiced by the man was easily understood. The beast looked up to its elven master whom stared down at him with an equally grim expression marring her youthful but grungy appearance.

The blood that splattered across the bridge of her nose did nothing but enhance the fact this little group was nothing but three misfits that were told to prepare for war.

Flememth had told them to unite the corners of Ferelden for any chance to come out of this Blight victorious. However, sparing a glance at the nearly empty streets and the sparse refugees this was clearly a task easier said than done.

Aria joined her fellow warden and leaned her bottom on the fence that looked like it would topple over any moment. The leather satchel strapped her belt groaned as it was squeezed between old wood and her body. Pointed ears perked up at that before nearly cursing at how forgetful she was. Straightening up swiftly, the elf unbuckled the top and pulled out the bound parchments Flemeth had handed to her before they were pushed out of the swamp.

"What about these?" she held out the old treaties in the center of their little circle. "We still have the treaties so why not start out dealing with the allies we can gather from them?" she suggested as Alistair eyed the leather bound Maker sent parchment. He reached out to them and Aria let him take them from her hands as he undid the binds.

"Have you read them?" he asked off handedly as he unrolled them carefully to scan his own eyes over the contents. Aria shook her head to say 'no', but with the warriors eyes focused more on their current path finder she spoke.

"No, I haven't, what kind of allies will we have at our disposal with these anyway?"

"…The main factions seem to be the Dalish elves located in Ferelden, the dwarves of Orzammar, and the Circle of Magi." He informed. At the mention of the Circle Aria blinked. Huh…chances are if she had never been dragged into her little adventure in the Circle and conscripted, she still would have been pulled into this fighting.

Alistair's lips pursed as he glanced to the two women he was with.

"And…we may find an ally in Arl Eamon. I suggest we go to him first."

"That seems a fair decision. What of your thoughts Morrigan?" Aria turned to the mostly silent mage, she seemed disinterested in their planning thus far. The dark haired woman shrugged.

"I am as lost in this quest as you are, as long as there is a unanimous decision that does not sound completely idiotic I will follow as Mother instructed."

"Then…Arl Eamon it is I suppose, can't really argue as long as we have some kind of goal to get to." Aria sighed as she looked back out into the village.

"For now though, we should stay here and see what we can get along the lines of food." The elf suggested as Alistair handed her the bound up treaties to put away.

"We should also see about the state of things after Loghain's stunt at Ostagar." Morrigan pointed out. "He may not know that two Warden's who know the truth of his treachery survive."

Yet another sobering fact they must deal with. Aria felt her hand run through her hair as she let her stress out in a long suffering sigh. Things just could never be easy could they?

"Let's just find somewhere to lodge before anything." Alistair spoke up as they traversed through the refugees camped out outside. Chickens scuttled along across their feet and the occasional child cried out for their parent. Many seemed to gasp out in pain or lay on their sides in makeshift beds laid out next to bonfires. It was a sorry sight that Aria was not use to seeing and she found herself ignorantly wondering why none seemed to take refuge inside the homes or looking for the local tavern. Just how many were without home and why? Could it have been because of the battle at Ostagar? Certainly the darkspawn couldn't be moving so fast across the land? It was just another thing to add to Aria's list of questions she was forming. Living in the real world seemed just as stifling and unfair as life stuck on an island in the middle of a dark lake.

Making their way down faded cobble stones in what was once probably a very attractive road, a man dressed in full Templar armor was shouting at the occasional passerby. His red robes at his feet looking like running blood in Aria's wide eyes as she stepped just a tad closer to her companions. Uthnehen whined as he knocked his large head into her thigh gently. Templar's still made her skin crawl uncomfortably. They started to pass him just as Alistair had blindly asked her what was wrong when she felt the cold bite of steel on her forearm.

The elf jumped up in fright before swiftly turning around to face the gleaming helmet of the Templar who looked down at her. She didn't know if he held any malice, it was hard to tell under the constricted eye holes that allowed only limited vision to its wearer. But that didn't nothing to quell her beating heart as thought s about why they were stopped crossed her mind.

Could he tell she was a mage?

Would it matter to tell him she was a Grey Warden and so free to wander without an escort from the Circle?

She hated how after surviving death not once but three times it was a single Templar that could shake her to her bones.

Alistair seemed to finally find her reason for unease and scowled in the armored man's direction.

"You three, if you are looking for shelter I suggest finding it elsewhere. Lothering is full enough with refugees and its own people."

"Please, we are just passing through for a few days to resupply. We will be on our way soon enough." Alistair said as he pulled Aria back a few steps from the Templar's hold. The man shook his head.

"As long as you don't bring any trouble, the chantry temple and tavern is bursting and we've barely enough food provided by the local farmers to feed everyone. Don't know what you'll be able to get your hands on until you find your way to the next village a couple days down the road."

The warrior amongst them nodded his blond head with pursed lips.

"Of course, if we can't find what we need you can rest assured we won't linger." Alistair promise as he pulled the others along.

* * *

 

A small hand tugged at the trailing back of Aria's robes and caught her attention. Peering down at the hand it was small and slender, much like her own but belonged to a small elven girl with a heart shaped face. The mage stopped in her tracks as her heart squeezed painfully for the girl sitting in the dirt as a dark haired male elf, the girl's father most likely, soothed an upset elven woman with pretty red hair. Staring back at her own companions who looked back at her with mild curiosity, she knelt down to the girls level. The movement caught her parents attention and they stared in surprise at the sight of another elf. She cast them her nervous smile.

"Hello." She murmured to the little girl who smiled back. Her eyes focused on Aria's ears as her shoulders slumped in relief.

"Please…do you think you could share some bread?" the father spoke in a familiar elven lilt. It vaguely reminded her of her own family in the back of her mind where she kept those distant childhood memories.

She noticed the tears in their otherwise well kept clothes and the scrapes on their child's knees.

"What happened to you?" she asked worriedly.

"Bandits!" The wife sighed woefully and clutched at her daughters tattered ribbons.

"We came to Lothering to get away from the fighting, our little cabin was just a days' travel from Ostagar so we ran before there was any chance that darkspawn could harm us. But as soon as we made it, some Bandits rolled in and took everything, even my daughter's pet sheep." The father explained.

A sour expression over came Aria as she recalled the moment she and her companions came face to face with the bandits. Their blood still stained the bottom of her boots.

"They are dead now, your stuff might still be there if you check." She proposed. This caught the family's attention and they smiled hopefully at her.

"They're dead? Did you kill them? No-it doesn't matter, as long as we can find our stuff. You have our thanks."

Aria stood with the family as they thanked her, the mother hugged her. It had caught the mage so off guard that she was unsure whether or not she should return it. She stood there, blushed, and waved her arms confusedly before she watched the family scamper off to where the slaughtered humans remains still most likely lay.

Morrigan raised her brow as the warden joined back up with them.

"What was that about?" she asked. Aria humored her with a pleased look.

"Just helping…" she murmured.

* * *

 

Lothering was apparently not very well off Aria surmised. So many people, even its own locals where in bad shape, its crops where running low and there was talk of the Arls men coming to their aid. Yet, there was equal talk about the abandonment of the settlement and it had to make her wonder what would happen to all the people holed up here and unable to defend themselves. There were only a handful of Templar's and she doubted any of those middle aged farmers would be able to fend off a single darkspawn. It hurt to see things in such a state as they left a disgruntled merchant after guilting him to lower his prices for the sake of helping more people so they wouldn't die of cold. It was so close to winter.

Though…it was always close to winter by Ferelden standards. It was a harsh land.

Not wanting to linger too long outside they decided it was best to find a tavern and see what they could learn about the state of affairs from there. It was easy to ask a local where it was, just across the bridge and called Dane's Refuge.

The door creaked and the melody of a flute and lute duo filled the musty, warm air. The patrons sat close to one another, more than one nursed a mug of what she believed to be ale. Aria liked the music. It was light and cheerful, something to help lift the pessimistic tension that filled everyone's body language. Glancing around, Alistair pointed out someone who looked like he could be the owner of the establishment.

Passing by a table she stumbled over a chair leg she hadn't seen. Letting out a small sound the well muscled arm of a young man reached out in front of her and stopped her decent to the creaking floor boards. Glancing up, the elf sent the young man a thankful look from where he sat.

"Er…thank you." She mumbled as she straightened herself and tried not to think about the warmth coming to her cheeks out of embarrassment. Really, she needed to find some balance in her feet. The man with short, dark brown hair sent her a strained smile of his own while the two women at his table looked at them with raised brows.

"Yeah, uh, no problem…" the man shifted in his seat awkwardly and Aria looked like she wanted to say something else while a chortle of laughter broke her away from the nonexistent conversation she was having with her angry looking savior to two older men sauntering up to her group.

Alistair cursed from behind her, causing her to bite her tongue and eye the swords peeking out from their holsters on their backs. This can't be good.

"I recognize that armor." The blond hissed conspiratorially. "Those are Loghain's men."

It was easy enough to feel the dread in her gut at that connection as she stepped away from the table, unsure what to do with the men standing before them with malicious leers towards them.

"Well, well what's this?" That man with dark facial hair looked over to his partner wearing a leather cap.

"Didn't we spend all morning asking about a woman who fit this description?" the beardless one questioned what had to be his superior.

Aria felt herself tense up as they eyed her specifically with their nasty little leers and she glanced up to Alistair and Morrigan for help. But Morrigan simple glared bored at what was going down while Alistair just seemed uncomfortable with where this could be going. He unconsciously fingered the hilt of his blade. Taking a note from his book, one of her hands stayed behind her back to clutch at the staff latch there.

"No one said they had seen her, yet here we are. Looks like we were lied to." Said the other and Aria looked away to see the patrons who had just gotten silent. Eyes on them all in obvious curiosity. The man who had helped her to her feet eyed her suspiciously and cast the women at his table with a look that made the eldest of the three shrug.

From the corner of her vision Aria was only vaguely aware of the flutter of cream from a chantry sister's robes until she came between the men and her. She raised a delicate hand with a sweet smile on her lips.

"Gentlemen," She spoke with an accent that was nothing like the bold speech of a native Ferelden. She sounded like the mages who transferred to the Lake Callenhad Circle from Orlais. "surely there is no need for trouble. Look at them; they cannot be more than poor souls seeking refuge like the rest that have found themselves here in Lothering."

The men scoffed over the red haired sisters attempt to quell them into compliance.

"I can see the way the blond one grips his sword. Now stay out of this, sister. You protect these traitors and you'll get the same as them."

The woman looked honestly affronted as her shapely eyebrows rose and her pale eyes flashed with something Aria could not see. It made the situation no better as people started giving them space; the man at the table was shoved back down into his seat by the older woman whose eyes were hidden under dark brown bangs.

"Carver!" she hissed. "This is not your problem."

"Traitors? Why are we traitors?" Aria furrowed her brows at the men as she gripped her staff from behind self consciously.

"Everyone in Lohgain's troupe knows what the Warden's did!" The dark haired soldier egged on as he grasped his blades.

"It's time for the last of them to be brought to justice!"

Aria didn't get a moment to think as the first man lunged at her with a cry. She shrieked more out of surprise than anything before bringing the force of her hardwood staff down on the man's head then spreading her hand out to sweep across the tavern to the threatening forms of resting soldiers grasping at their weapons. Alistair, with weapon drawn charged forward as another man tried to take Aria down. She took a step back as she laced her fingers with magic and forced it back until it snapped, sending the men closest to her back.

Morrigan tapped the wooden floor with her own staff before a glyph appeared on the floor to trap a few men under its grasp long enough for the red haired sister to pull a blade from an unassuming satchel at her waist and stab them through the neck in three fluid movements.

The innocent patrons of the tavern gasped in horror and she frowned in concentration to bring another two men to their knees with the pressure of her magic long enough for Alistair to make quick work of them.

The scuffle was short for the most part painless. Several were now bleeding or dead while another few were simply unconscious. Aria looked to her companions who looked just as troubled as she before a pair of hands grabbed her from behind. The elf let out a startled yelp as someone began dragging her out. Uthnehn was the first to be at her side and growl at the one dragging her towards the door in her confusion.

"Down boy, we need to get your master out of here, Bethany, Carver, get the other three." A woman commanded of the two young adults who looked so oddly similar to each other. They must have been twins.

"Wait—what?" Aria scrambled for understanding as she let herself be dragged along by the taller woman out of the tavern with Alistair, Morrigan, and that odd red haired sister close behind. The man with the short, dark hair that helped her caught her eye. He was looking up at the woman who dragged her along down the dirty street to a nondescript home with boarded up windows. He was scowling.

With little resistance from a very confused elf and Alistair and Morrigan who just kind of went along with it and a very amused looking chantry sister of questionable history a door was opened by an equally confused older woman with graying hair. They group dragged themselves inside and the one she assumed was called Bethany, with her dark hair curled at the ends, shut the door with a definite slam. She wiped a smudge of dirt from her face and gave the one grasping her a thumbs up.

"Mission accomplished sister."

"What in Andraste's name is going on?!" Alistair threw his hands up in the air while Aria freed herself to stand on her own. Turning around, the elf was confronted with a tall woman with a sturdy build. Her hair, much like her sisters was just passed her shoulders and curled at the ends, her bangs were swept to one side of her face and looked to have a tendency to fall into her brown eyes. Her jaw was set in a stern line while her lips, painted an attractive dark violet much like Morrigan frowned. She wore simple clothes. A tunic with well fitting corset and leather trousers and worn boots; there was a red band tied around her left wrist.

"Funny," she said in a strong, but humorous way as she set her hands on her hips to eye the frazzled blond warrior. "I want to ask the same thing. But manners first I suppose, welcome to the Hawke home, have a seat and I'll put the kettle on, just don't eat the cheese."

Aria, unsure, because that seems to be her default emotion most of the time now, rubbed the bridge of her nose and took a seat as requested. Uthnehn laid his head in her lap and licked at her thigh, she brought her hand to his head and scratched behind his ears.

"Yes, of course this is, it's ok…I don't even like cheese." She sighed as she tried to ignore the shouting going on outside calling for the Templars because a couple renegade mage's were on the loose.

So this was her life now apparently.


	14. A Nest of Hawke's

It took well into the evening for the commotion outside pertaining to the bar fight with those soldiers to die down. Templars had, in fact, knocked on every resident's door to question them about a pair of suspected apostates running around. The matriarch of the family and her eldest daughter whom Aria and her companions learned was named Leandra and Willow Hawke, handled the armored men with a charm all their own and lied through their teeth like a pro as the twins, Carver and Bethany shuffled them into the back rooms and told them to be quite.

For obvious reasons of not really being suspicious, the pretty red haired chantry sister stayed out and opted to greet the Templar outside after Leandra and Willow assured they were mageless. Apparently the man in the suite knew her from the local chantry. The sister skillfully changed all subject from suspicious apostates to wrangling the men who put the other patrons of the tavern in harm's way by instigating the fight when whoever the mages were, were probably just trying to make their way back to the Circle after some assignment, since there was a Soldier, most likely a Templar in the three person group.

Then they were alone and the mother brewed them weak tea and fed them crackers. They were a bit stale and Aria didn't think it was right to take the food offered when they had a bit of their own. But Willow and Bethany were persistent and Leandra a gentle hostess. The elf couldn't help the awkwardly long stares she gave the mother as she poured tea for the trio and tag along sister. The older human woman held a sort of regal grace in her movements that many of the high class born mages from the Circle moved with. It was pleasant to watch and she simply couldn't help the air of ease and comfort that let her lower normally tense muscles. She would sit back and space out, much like she did as an apprentice when lessons were over.

It was a familiar and long needed habit that, while the concerned Alistair didn't seem to understand by glancing at her every once in awhile to make sure she wasn't sleeping with her eyes open or something like that. It let her drop the guard and tense aura about her that seemed to have grown around her. The mage was used to tension, but not a shield of it constantly radiating off of her like how it was ever since she was conscripted.

Aria felt like herself again. A mere child in the face of adult situations that she had little to no grasp over; the mother didn't seem to mind her spacey stare as she poured the drinks. Willow pulled out a stool and sat next to her, a smile played her lips as the two caught each other's eyes, both brown, but held this odd little amber colored spark inside them. Like warm magic weaving itself in their very eyes that assured each other of things they couldn't quite place. But there was a peace about them that Aria welcomed in this world of growing conflict.

And then someone cleared their throat and broke Aria away from her peace of mind.

She craned her neck to face Alistair. He looked sort of out of place with his almost dingy armor as he squeezed himself between the front entrance and Carver, as far from Morrigan as possible while the woman herself sat unaffected next to the red haired sister at the table.

"Something you'd like to say, hm? My unwitting man." Morrigan hummed through her sip, Alistair scowled as per usually whenever Morrigan said anything.

"We really shouldn't stay much longer now that people know we're here." He muttered, staring at Aria. She sighed raggedly. She'd rather not have to move until the sun was up and she was well rested.

"What's the rush? You mentioned needed to restock so you might as well stay another night or two to gather resources before heading out wherever you're headed." Willow's elbow rested on the top of the table as she set her head in the connecting hand. She gave Alistair a studious look that made the man frown.

"We uh, have our reasons." He bit back.

"And those would be?" Willow challenged. The blond warrior gave an exasperated groan before looking towards Aria for help.

"There is apparently word going around about the Grey Wardens. Bad words." She helped, but that only made the deep set frown on Alistair's lips grow. Oh, was that supposed to be a secret?

The family looked at them weirdly.

"Uh, right, you mean what they've been saying about the battle at Ostagar right? You know, I was there, I was in Loghain recruits, I got a little action there myself before we pulled out. Something about the Grey Wardens betraying the king during the battle so we had to strategically retreat." Carver pointed out with a smirk.

"Too bad too, I bet I could have done something to-"

"Yes, because you are so talented with that old broadsword of yours…" Bethany let out an exasperated sound. The corner of Willow Hawke's lips quirked at her siblings' squabble; set her eyes back on Aria who somehow ended up looking like the leader of the trio.

"Yeah, we've been hearing something along those lines ever since some of those soldiers and Caver came back. But what, pray tell, does that have to do with you three and that fight down at the tavern?"

Aria sifted in her seat uncomfortably before deciding to just speak openly. What the soldiers who attacked them had said still grated on her.

"Alistair and I are Grey Warden's. We fought at Ostagar and what those rumors are saying are completely false." The elf furrowed her brow as the warden by the door crossed his arms.

"That's an understatement." He snorted. The Hawke family stared between the two, though Willow seemed perfectly composed except for the rise of her eyebrows in surprise.

"So, what really happened then?" Bethany pondered openly.

"Loghain abandoned us all to die even though Aria and I lit the signal beacon for his forces to flank the darkspawn. The bastard retreated and left us for dead and now he's spouting dirt across the names of my brothers and sisters at arms!" Alistair spat at the ground in anger only to look up at the sound of Aria getting to her feet to walk over to him. She placed hesitant hands over his crossed arms and untangled them.

"Alistair, yelling about it now won't bring Duncan back." She murmured and pulled him to her vacated seat. The small shack was silent as the elf pushed the much larger man into the provided stool with a pained look. With the man in his seat she pat his shoulder before taking stiff steps to stand where he had, ignoring the blisters on her feet and screaming arm.

"I was only recruited very recently from the Circle before the battle was fought…we lost Duncan, he was the…what did you call it Alistair?" she asked looking back up at him.

"Warden-Commander, he was our leader. We lost pretty much all of our Ferelden ranks except for the two of us."

"How exactly did the two of you wind up being the only survivors?" Willow asked.

"We were ordered to light the beacon at the top of a tower, we were out of the main battle and were only taken out by a couple arrows from the darkspawn that snuck through the main throng…At least that's what I can only suspect. I have a wound still healing that Morrigan told me was in fact from an arrow. We lost consciousness shortly after. Morrigan's mother Flemeth saved us at some point." Aria explained.

The siblings then looked to the witch who had been silently sipping her tea next to the chantry woman without complaint. She wrinkled her nose at their sudden attention on her.

"My mother is a mystery in and of itself. At this point in my life I have stopped questioning her talents." Was all she gave.

At this point the mother of the nest cleared her throat to gain the parties attention. She wiped her rough, but delicate looking hands over her patchwork apron with a maternal smile.

"I'm sorry for interrupting, but it is late and I think if our guests want an early start tomorrow it would be best to go to bed now. Carver, Bethany, be dears and set out some blankets so they can sleep." Leandra asked of her twins, one of whom groaned in aggravation while the other dragged them off.

* * *

 

Aria laid wide awake once the packed shack and its inhabitants calmed down for the night. The red haired woman had gone back to the chantry for the night and her group had buckled down for the night on the floors of the Hawke family abode.

However, as brown eyes blinked lazily through the darkness as she listened to the soft snores of the people around her the sole elf could not find the strength to close her eyes and sleep.

A cold draft coming from the floorboards brushed through the blankets and across her scarred arm. Aria turned to it even though it was far too dark to see and sighed. Finally, she decided to just get up and get some fresh air.

Silently, she got to her feet and summoned a ball of pale blue magic. It flared out like a dim, but lit sun and hovered just over her shoulder as she stepped over Alistair's stretched out form and dodged the possibility of tripping over his armor that he had set nearby. Not feeling up to bothering with wrapping her arm, or wrapping the fur shoulder guards around her, or even putting on trousers at this moment. The elf simply slid her feet into her boots and made sure the high slits in the robes she wore were effectively covered with a cloak draping over a chair in the kitchen.

She was out in the crisp night air in a matter of moments and leaned against the door with a worn out sigh. Looking up into the sky, the mage marveled at the sheer number of stars and just stood there, staring.

It was silly maybe, weeks after leaving and still the world amazed her.

Pushing herself away from the door then, Aria wrapped the cloak tight and made her way towards the small river of water that ran through the village. The sound of dirt and dried grass crunching under her boots was the only sound around until they tapped onto the cobblestone bridge. She looked around the empty village, there were two Templars guarding the outside walls to the Chantry. She turned away from them and hiked herself up the side of the bridge and sat on its railing. Water rushed under her dangling feet as she stared down at the dark water before going back to staring up at the stars.

It was peaceful and Aria could appreciate that.

She wasn't sure for how long she had been outside in the biting cold silent and content. But the soft footfalls joining her on the bridge forced her from her own thoughts to turn to her right and be met with the friendly smile of the red haired sister from earlier.

They stayed there for a moment and just stared before the woman held out her hand.

"We never formally introduced ourselves, please call me Leliana."

Aria took her hand in a small shake.

"Aria." She murmured. The women lapsed into quiet again as they took back their hands.

"Those men, they called you Grey Wardens, is this true?" Leliana asked. Aria glanced over at the woman before sighing again.

"…I am." The elf furrowed her brow, unsure where this conversation would lead.

"Then you will be fighting darkspawn, yes? That is what Wardens do. I know that after what has happened to you, you will need all the help you can get, so I wish to come with you and your friends." The lay sister got to the point swiftly, her pale blue eyes giving the younger woman a pointed look, as if daring the elf to refuse her aid. Unsure of exactly how to answer the woman, Aria stared blankly.

"Uhhh…What?" she asked as intelligently as possible. Aria looked up at the red haired woman as she stood with the grace of what Aria imagined of a well bred lady, though her pale eyes held a cold, sharp wit to them, daring the elf to challenge her offer. It…honestly intimidated the elf a little bit.

"Why would you…I mean, it's kind of you…I have no clue why a woman of the chantry would want to join a bunch of obviously suspicious people on a journey that will definitely lead to more tavern fights." Aria admitted after stumbling over her words. The pleasant sound of the woman's playful chuckle was enough to keep the mage from her foot in mouth position. The sister made herself comfortable, leaning against the railing of the bridge she sat on.

"I understand your hesitancy, but do not fret. I knew when news of the army's defeat at Ostagar that whatever happened after words would lead to only ruin for this land. And now what with you and your Grey Warden companion showing up I finally know what I must do to help prevent the worst case scenario. I have hands, and I wish to help you Warden Aria." Leliana offered once more. Her features the epitome of serene. It unnerved the elf, that this woman could so calmly offer her aid in time where not even Aria was too sure as to what she was doing or where they were going.

Flemeth had simply sent them on their way with an idea. There was no guarantee she and Alistair would ever make it to his friend in Redcliff or make nice with the allies the treaties in her bag offered them. This could more than likely lead to the death by the hands of mere bandits and she didn't want to drag anyone else into this mess.

"Why…" Aria murmured to the woman at her side. "Why would you risk your very life on the slim chance any of us can make a difference? I'm not even sure what Alistair and I am leading Morrigan into and she was just as unwilling to leave her home as I am to killing the very things out to kill us."

Again, that easy on the ears, feminine giggle as Leliana faced the star filled sky. The inky blackness, only broken up by the occasional cluster of silver stars and quarter moon; dark clouds were once again moving through the night to block out the dream-like sight.

"The Maker told me so." Leliana finally revealed with a distracted smile, her eyes never left the sky and Aria wondered if she was lost in thought as the elf too looked up as if to see if she could see was the human did.

"I' m sorry..but I…" Aria sighed, turning away and back to the running water under her boots.

Andraste. She was a figure that left a bland, if not questionable taste in her mouth. Aria was raised in an Alienage, and though she had few memories she could recall vividly, the tales her mother told her of the elven pantheon were like a part of herself. Implanted into her very soul. It must be an elven thing since she would believe in them before anything the Chant of Light told her.

"Oh, forgive me for my brashness. I-I know it must sound odd, coming from a woman of the Chantry saying this not only to an elf, but a mage—but, I just…Would it help if I just explained?" Leliana leaned back against the bridge, catching the eye of the hunched over form, her eyes so clearly pleading and arm outstretched to grasp Aria's upper arm. The elf's eye twitched at the ghost pain and lay her own hand over the woman's to quietly ask her to ease her hold.

Aria sighed, but nonetheless smiled as she nodded her head.

"Please, it would shed some light on this…unusual request."

The young warden gave a more than conflicted face before caving in to the woman's plea and waved her hand for the woman to explain.

"It started with a dream. A dream the Maker sent me."

"It happened as I wandered the courtyard of the Chantry here. I passed dead bush upon dead bush until I came upon a single white rose blooming amongst the dry thorns and dead branches. It had grown until it out shined the dead or wilting plants around it and I thought 'How amazing, how determined that single flower was to find the strength to grow through the death that surrounded it.'." Leliana breathed as she recalled.

"And then it was like, through the dull light of the late afternoon, my vision was stolen and all I saw was darkness. But though it, that image of a pure white rose persisted, demanding my attention."

The woman turned to focus on Aria with a steel to her eyes, the elf pursed her lips, engrossed in her words.

"Look at the people here, Lady Warden. They are lost in despair and will only continue to do so until the darkspawn either come for them or they waste away, and this darkness, this chaos…it will only spread. The Maker does not want this for his children…nor do I."

"But…what does any of this have to do with my group, me being a Warden?" Aria all but groaned up at the sister, brows furrowed in confusion.

"If all you want is to help, to keep the spirits of these refugees up, you can do that from here, can you not? All they need is a kind word and reassurance. Wouldn't that suffice?" she asked.

"And you think just words will be all it takes to save lives?" Leliana challenged. Aria didn't know how to answer, her lips thinned and she looked down. She sounded like a child, thinking a few 'it'll be okay' or 'you're fine' would be enough to help these sick and poor people.

"But why ask me?" she questioned again. Leliana's smile grew.

"Because you are a woman leading your group." She said as if that explained everything. However, by the look of the Warden's face it clearly did not.

"Rose's are often what women are compared to, are they not? Tell me, do you know what white roses symbolize in the language of flowers?"

Aria simply shook her head.

"Purity, innocence." Leliana informed. "Young, unmarried women are often symbolized by white roses. In Orlais it was once a trend for young brides-to-be to be adorned with them to signify their youth and chastity to their soon to be husbands whilst she was being courted. And you Lady Warden," the sister giggled warmly as she lifted the elf's chin so the two could catch each other's eye. "look as if white would suite you very well."

Aria gaped silently at the woman, a nervous flush dusting her nose, though she doubted it could be seen through the darkness.

"I believe you are meant to do great things Warden, the Maker's work even. And I want to help."

"Please…" Aria sighed. "Just call me Aria."


	15. A Giant Man's Trouble

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just fixing the chapter title~

Aria looked up at the other two near the entrance to the Chantry courtyard as they eyed the red haired woman who had relinquished her cotton robes to don what seemed to be well worn leather armor with a studded bodice and skirt. Her boots thick with a cap that covered her knees.

She looked at them with an even, calm expression like it was the most natural thing to wear as Alistair looked between the elf and the lay sister and Morrigan pinched the bridge of her nose with a silent groan.

"A dream." Alistair felt the need to reiterate.

"More like a vision." Leliana nodded.

"A dream vision thing-a-ma-bob that the Maker gave you." Alistair fixed.

"…I wouldn't really call such a wondrous experience a—a 'thing-a-ma-bob'." She furrowed her brow, but in Alistair's rolling mind he apparently ignored that comment to wrap his mind around this whole…whatever it was now.

"You agreed to let a woman who had a dream-vision thing from the Maker that told her to jump the bandwagon and join the first group of travelers that was lead by a young woman to save Ferelden." Alistair looked at Aria as she rubbed the cold from her hands and eyed the still quiet Morrigan. She turned to the warrior.

"…Well, when you put it that way. But she seems-uh, experienced?" Aria laughed stiffly at the none to impressed look the blond gave her.

"Alistair, we aren't really in a position where we should turn down help if it offers." She sighed. The man brought his face into his palm and groaned.

"Fine-fine! I thought we were all chock full of crazy, but I guess we can fit in a Chantry sister who knows how to slit a man's throat and wield a bow. Who am I to judge?" He groaned sarcastically.

"…Perhaps your skull was cracked more than Mother thought…" the dark witch in the back muttered. Aria's shoulder's sagged now that introductions were over she felt a whole lot less nervous about bringing a practical stranger along with them.

"So, supplies, yes? We need them." Morrigan changed the subject quickly and like that the group decided to note the few venues that actually looked like they held something.

"Oh, if we have the time, we should check the Chanter's Board." Leliana recommended. "The people will usually post requests and odd jobs that will bring a little copper our way and won't that help us?" she said as she gestured to the board outside the Chantry walls to a man chanting passages from what Aria could only suspect be from the Chant of Light.

"Money lining our pockets sounds as good a start as anything right now, let's see what they have to offer." Aria decided with a nod.

* * *

 

Morrigan pushed away straggling, old plants that had, at one point, grown out of the stone wall that lead up to a raised road that lead to the main trader's road of Ferelden, Kings Road. Aria looked over her shoulder curiously to see the woman pulling from mid stem a still green, stubbornly living plant. It had broad, three pointed leaves and the occasional, curled, thin vine.

"Wow, how long did it take for this? I didn't realize elfroot was so hard to come by in the wild." Aria murmured as the older woman stood back up to place the plant in some rolled up parchment with the other sprigs they had collected over their journey so far.

"It's not that it's usually hard to find. Elfroot is a very adaptable plant with several uses, not just medicinal. It's this land. Or what's happening to it at least, so close to Ostagar." Morrigan spoke as they continued back to find the woman who needed the plant.

"The lands are becoming tainted. More darkspawn are sure to be spotted after the battle and their taint will kill the soil and leave ruin and disease in their wake." Alistair muttered.

They handed the woman her coveted herbs and she handed Aria the few silver she could spare gratefully. Aria pulled out the last few jobs she had torn from the chanter's board. They had made some decent coin now and was even able to convince some traveling merchants to go easy on the prices since everyone was tight on coin now and they were more likely to lose business by not adapting to their customers than the other way around.

They hadn't been very enthusiastic. But one scathing look from Morrigan had the men shivering in their boots and nodded their consent.

"There's a cave of bears near the river the people use for water that need to be dealt with." Aria lifted the parchment to the top of the thin stack. The other three around her didn't take much time to think it over and just shrugged, Aria quirked an eyebrow. Bear hunting it was then.

* * *

 

It was after they were dragging their ragged butts back into the village that Aria first picked up the sound. Her tired head pricked up in sudden alertness. She looked back to her silent companions, all tight lipped as the low droning of a deep, rough voice murmured in a tongue she had not heard before, what sounded like a prayer.

"You guys, do you hear that?" she asked softly, sitting up just a little straighter as she wandered off from her group with Alistair groaning about more walking. The Mage ignored him in favor of passing through a more decrepit than usual part. There was a row of thick metal person sized cages with rusted corners.

It was on the far edge of the village and away from most prying eyes she noticed, it must be a make shift prison area. She walked down the short collection of cages to one that was filled with the low thrumming words in that unknown tongue by a towering pale man who leaned on the far end of his mini prison. It was just large enough to fit him, though his broad, muscular shoulders brushed the edges stiffly.

Aria stared up wide eyed and ever curious because this was something else she's never seen before. This man with braided hair so pale it was almost white and his brow furrowed as his eyes stayed closed in indifference as the words flowed from barely parted chapped lips.

_Shok ebasit hissra. Meraad astaarit…Maraas shokra…_

Aria didn't know what he said. But this strange, giant man murmured it in such a calming fashion that it reminded her of the words spoken in elvish by her parents, by her and the other elves in the Circle when they wanted no other to hear them giggle and trade secrets from their own heritage that was always so lacking.

She took another step towards the caged man, disregarding that little part of her mind that reminded her that he was in this cage for something. She just really liked the pull this language brought to her. What any language other than the King's Tongue brought to her.

Something snapped under her foot and all too soon the drone of those words stopped and she was introduced to dark, hard set eyes that bore into her indifferently. A pale brow was raised at her.

"You are not one of my captors." he stated blandly, though the rasp in his voice betrayed his indifference for just how exhausted he must feel. Aria inwardly wondered how long he had been in that cage before she noticed.

"I will not amuse you anymore than I have the other humans. Leave me in peace."

She gave him her own furrowed brow and was going to say something, when finally; the others had caught up with her. She spared them a look before turning back to the nameless prisoner.

"I meant no harm…I just, I've never seen someone so giant." Aria gaped at her remark and blinked swiftly at herself. They sounded rude, she cleared her throat.

"Sorry, I, why are you in a prison? I wasn't aware Lothering even had one."

"Who else but your Chantry." The man scoffed. Leliana pushed her way through Alistair just then to grab the Mage's arm. She gave Aria a worried look.

"The revered mother said he slaughtered an entire family. Even the children." She murmured softly. Alistair had made a pinched expression, looking up at the pale man in distaste.

"It is as she says." He did not deny, no tone in his voice suggesting guilt otherwise and introduced himself, lifting his form to stand up just a tad straighter. He towered over them all.

"I am Sten of the Beresaad—the vanguard—of the qunari people."

"Qunari, I've heard of them. I've never seen one myself, could you elaborate?" Aria questioned in interest happily.

"If you do not know of us it is of your own shortcomings. Though it matters little now, I will die here soon enough."

There came a scoff from the back as Morrigan crossed her arms to stare up at the caged Sten.

"This is a proud and powerful creature, Aria, trapped as prey for the darkspawn. If we seem to be picking up more little companions, can you not see a use for him? I would suggest releasing him for mercy's sake alone." She gave Aria a cross look, disgusted at the prisoners treatment. But then came Alistair's argument, never one to agree with the witch from the wild.

"Mercy! I wouldn't have expected such a notion from you of all people."

Morrigan gave the man a wicked smirk that made Aria sigh as she proposed the blond warrior take Sten's place.

"Ah, you see, that's what I expected." He shook his head in exasperation. Sten pointedly stared at the bickering two and raised a petulant brow at the elf at the front of it all. She gave a questionable shrug, somehow growing use to the disharmony that came with Morrigan and Alistair near each other.

"I suggest you leave me to my fate, elf."

But where would she be if she did not feel that niggling feeling in the back of her mind as she rose her eyes to Sten's and crossed her own arms. Far more interested than she probably should be even before Morrigan's suggestion to release the murderer. Leliana, beside her, looked on with thinly veiled concern.

Morrigan was right, Sten, despite looking worse for wear, looked like he could run through stone walls and win and she had no idea what to expect once they left the familiarity of Lothering to move on to Redcliff.

The fact the man had committed such a heinous crime, however, did not go forgotten on her though. Surely there had to be some reason as to why he had killed the adults. Humans were, after all, a terrible people most of the time. She pursed her lips.

"I think Morrigan is right." She nodded more to herself as the bickering behind her ceased and she felt eyes on her. She had to swallow back her nerves, still so unsure as to why and when they had started to cease what they were doing when she simply stated her own opinion.

"I think we could use you Sten, it would surely be more productive than sitting in a cage to die." She offered seriously. The qunari gave her an unimpressed look.

"No doubt. What help do you seek?"

"I have been sworn in to protect this land against the coming Blight." She answered him with a clearly pained look. "I would appreciate any help in doing so, really."

That seemed to have caught the so far stoic man's attention as he leaned in. It wasn't very noticeable, just a twitch in his torso to those close enough to seek it.

"The Blight? So you are a Grey Warden then?"

"So it seems…" Aria's fingers twitched where they grasped her folded arm.

"Surprising…My people have heard legends of the Grey Warden's strength and skill…" His eyes gave her a scrutinizing glance that made her tense up. "Though…I suppose not all legend is true."

Aria couldn't really argue with that. She wasn't exactly trained for this. So, instead of defending her clearly inexperienced self, she changed the subject.

"This 'Revered Mother', do you think she will let you out?"

"Perhaps if you told her the Grey Warden's need my assistance. It seems as likely to bring my death as waiting here."

Aria turned back to the three others with her to see none had an argument to give before facing Sten once more.

"Then I will be back with any news of your release to me." She raised her hand awkwardly as if to wave, but seeing his less than friendly expression, thought better of it. Leliana still seemed to struggled internally with her decision, but nonetheless sighed.

"To be left here to starve, or to be taken by darkspawn…no one deserves that…" she sighed as she walked off in the direction of the chantry.

"Not even a murderer."

* * *

 

The inside of the Chantry was warmed by the heat of small torches that lined the stone archways that lined the sides of the vestibule and opened up into a small, raised sanctuary where the figures of kneeling Andrastians prayed with man dressed in Chantry robes. The low thrum of chanters singing their Chant filled the building with its distressed children's cries and the occasional Templar on guard made for a melancholic scene that did not put the Mage at ease even the slightest.

Chantries made her uncomfortable and while she would admit the Chant a beautiful melody when it left the lips of the occasional sister with their soft, lilting voices that sounded so sweet, like a lullaby long forgotten, the meaning behind the words were no more than a stab to her heart because if it hadn't been for their rule surely she would have grown up differently?

Surely she wouldn't have to be awed and amazed each time she got to step foot out into the open world and make her own choices.

Leliana sighed peacefully as she wandered down the halls that must have been so familiar and comforting to her as they were for Alistair as his tense shoulders drooped in a silly way as he went on ahead with the redhead to listen to the prayers being sung in earnest.

Morrigan stayed far behind, opting to inspect the dusty drapery and ignore the rest of the people around her. It left Aria, alone and out of touch with the people around her as she eyed one of the stiffly standing Templar's by the door and wrapping an arm around herself in a show unease before walking down the hall after the rest had wandered off to do whatever it was pious people like Leliana and Alistair did.

There was harsh whispering going on at the end of the vestibule and close to the west wing of the small Chantry. Curiously, she turned to try and see what was wrong, only to see a small group of Templar's making tense hand gestures and shaking their heads.

_"It couldn't possibly be true…coming so fast!"_

_"How true can…words…dwarf be."_

_"Doesn't matter…We are the only hope…protect Lothering at all costs."_

"Maker save us all, you are dismissed." One Templar, who had shed his helmet at some point to pinch the bridge of his nose. He sighed tiredly as he waved off the others before looking up and catching Aria's eye.

The elf squeaked, wide eyed at being caught listening to their quiet words and turned her head in attempt to find something else of interest to make her look not so guilty. It was no use of course. The armored man had zeroed in on her with a polite, yet worn expression as she stepped over to her. She stood there like a stone, none too sure what to do.

"May I be of help My Lady?" He greeted her and Aria self consciously brushed her chin length bob in attempt at covering the point of her ears as she craned her neck to look up at the man who studied her curiously.

"I'm sorry," he started again with a troubled expression. "I haven't seen you here before; might I ask who you are?"

"Oh uhhh-well…N-No one of importance, just-just a passerby." She flinched at the nervous waver in her voice she had become accustom to while speaking to Templar's from the Circle and bit the edge of her lip.

He seemed to be fine with the answer nonetheless and gave her a slight bow of his head.

"I am Sir Bryant, Commander of Lothering's remaining Templars." He introduced eying her curiously as she fidgeted under his gaze. The staff so obviously strapped to her back a glaring mockery of her current distress at being studied by the Commander of the Templar's himself. Her hands once again nervously made sure her ears were covered out of fear of how his polite attitude might change if he realized what she was in her entirety. A mage and an elf, never a good combination she was learning.

"You don't look like any of the refugees or passing merchants, could you be one of Arl Eamon's knights?"

That name was oddly familiar…where had she heard it again?

"Uh, no, I'm…I'm a Grey Warden, ehm, Aria Surana." She admitted and watched the man's shoulders hitch up as he looked at her with a flicker of something in his eyes.

"Oh I…I see." He cleared his throat. "Teryn Loghain declared all Grey Wardens traitors, responsible for the king's death, you do know I hope? Declaring yourself a Warden is quite dangerous at a time like this."

Aria's already tense form felt like it would snap as once again suspicion on them was placed by the words of a man who left them all to die. She closed her brown eyes in a moment of tense thought and sighed heavily, opening them to see only her blood stained boots and then look up to the man who wore an equally questionable expression.

"Such things really are going around, aren't they?" she murmured.

"With a pretty bounty for any who survived." The Templar admitted to her. Aria ran a hand through her short hair, completely forgetting what she was trying to hide as she moaned for so many reasons and not just in exasperation as she leaned against the stone arch at her side. The commander seemed to share her dislike for the situation as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Hey, look, I don't believe the Grey Wardens would be as careless or malicious as the teyrn claims, but either way, there it is."

"I suppose it's just another thing I sort of get use to along with everything else." She muttered.

"It's best you and whoever you came with if you don't linger much longer here. Lots of easily fooled folk here desperate for good coin." Sir Bryan suggested. Aria nodded.

"Wasn't planning on it, just here to take care of some odd jobs and ask the Revered Mother something…Thank you though. For not attacking me or the people I entered with. There anything else you can tell me though, about what's happened since news of Ostagar?"

"I here Loghain has declared himself king. Just another disaster to add to the growing heap if you ask me."

"Please tell me it doesn't get worse…" Aria sighed pleadingly.

"Well, technically Teyrn Loghain while he may have a legitimate claim to the throne. And a hero to our people with a daughter crowned as queen, he would not be the first choice as next in line for the throne. The king's corpse is barely cold, there shouldn't even be any fighting over who rules who yet. If Arl Eamon was able to intervene, perhaps it wouldn't have gone this far."

"You humans can be so greedy…" Aria murmured off handedly. There was a pause in the conversation before it dawned on her what she had actually had the gall to say and she gasped at herself and covered her mouth with her hand to sheepishly peer up at the Templar she was actually speaking to. The man seemed to only shake his head without complaint.

"I could care less about who takes the throne. Only fools fight over who owns a cottage as it burns down." Sir Bryan offered cynically.

Aria was about to say something equally pessimistic when she spotted Alistair catching her eye as he walked back to join her. She turned back to the Templar Commander with a thankful smile.

"Thank you for speaking to me Sir Bryan, it was, honestly one of the few pleasant conversations I've had with a Templar. Good luck with protecting Lothering." She bid the man farewell for now and left to join the other Warden who looked both worried and a little amused as he watched the commander watch the elf from behind before turning around to take care of his own duties.

"I'm surprised. You're usually very skittish when it comes to Templars, what's changed?" he asked and the young woman shook her head.

"Let me just try and absorb the fact I had a civil conversation with a Templar that neither called me a 'knife ear' or threaten to imprison me for being an apostate or whatever I am right now. Outlaw? Traitor? Either way I just learned Grey Wardens aren't just Loghain's scapegoat, we've a bounty on our head now." She told him.

"That does not sound good. The less people know of our status then the better I suppose." Alistair shrugged as she turned away to look around the sanctuary where people prayed.

"Where's Leliana?" she asked. Alistair peered over at the cluster with another shrugged.

"Maybe to find the Revered Mother for us? She was a lay sister here so she must be more familiar with dealing with her." He offered.

"Then maybe we should go find her, it's me who has to convince her to release Sten to me after all." The elf rubbed at her arm self consciously before leading farther into the place of worship. She could hear Alistair's heavy footsteps behind her until he collided with someone that had tried to walk between them and gasped.

"Ser Donell…Is that you?!"

Aria looked back at the sound of Alistair's shocked gasp and found the man looking at a weathered, middle aged man dressed in dark chainmail. The man identified as Ser Donell looked at Alistair with narrowed eyes before they widened in recognition and gave the Warden a fond smile.

"Alistair? By the Maker, how are you? I…I was certain you were dead!" the older man gasped, clapping his hands around the blonde's shoulders. Alistair's goofy smile wavered as he scowled and shook his head.

"No, not yet, no thanks to Teryn Loghain."

The other seemed to feel the same and gave the younger warrior a sympathetic smile in return.

"If Arl Eamon were well, he'd set Loghain straight…" Alistair seemed familiar with the name, and even more shock came across his face. Unsure of what to really do with the conversation she cleared her throat to get Alistair's attention. She did and motioned to some part of the Chantry.

"You catch up, I'm going to Find Leliana and see what I can do about our qunari." She informed, he nodded and set back to speaking worriedly with the familiar face as she walked off in search of their red haired archer.

When she found the recognizable head of red, she was standing before a woman with graying hair and robes that looked just slightly finer than the ones she had seen Leliana wearing when they met. Their conversation was quiet and private and Aria felt a bit guilty as the conversation was cut off for the red head to glance at her direction with a wave of her hand to beckon her towards them.

The Mage bowed her head in silent greetings towards the woman sitting comfortable at a chair as she gave Aria a calculating look as everyone else nowadays seem to be giving her. Old habits die hard when the Mage found herself looking at something beyond the older woman's shoulder.

"This was the woman you mentioned Leliana? What business do you have of me, a donation perhaps?" The woman asked pleasantly enough when Aria looked back at the revered mother. The elf shook her head though and cleared her throat before speaking.

"No, I came to ask about the qunari that has been imprisoned."

The woman seemed a bit taken aback as she stood to her feet, obviously troubled about the topic at hand.

"Honestly, sometimes I think it might have been kinder to execute him…Well, what is this interest you have in him, Leliana mentioned it, but did not want to go into detail until the 'one in charge' arrived."

Aria blinked for a moment, trying to grasp the last part, then turned to Leliana with a furrowed brow.

"The one in….what?" she hissed as the former lay sister gave an amused smiled and giggled. She shook her head in exasperation.

"I was hoping to ask you to release the qunari into my care." Aria offered. The woman, clearly troubled still looked down at Aria.

"Then his next victim might count you and me as their murderers. What do you say of this predicament Leliana, you know this friend far better than I."

Leliana adjusted the leather skirt as her thighs and sighed.

"These are…unusual times you Reverence. With us, the qunari might do some good. I am sure of it in fact." The Chantry head seemed to consider her friends words before glancing between them both. She still looked conflicted, but still turned back to her desk and opened a drawer to hand a key from inside to Leliana.

"If times weren't so…very well, I trust you. Take the keys and Maker watch over you."

Both thanked the respected woman and left to convene with the rest of their scattered companions. Alistair was left alone now, sitting at one of the pews with his head in his hands and Morrigan had left some time.

They had decided to pick up the qunari and hope Leandra and her family did not mind sharing their food together with them all so they could gather their wits about them and head out after the meal.

On their way back to the cages, Aria, too engrossed in her thoughts bumped into a figure that had walked out in front of her. She gasped and looked up into a face obscured by a thick hood.

"Oh, uh, I'm terribly sorry." She apologized and took a step behind her to give the man just taller than her some room.

"Apology accepted, my dear, I was distracted myself." The man, with a thick accent like honey sent her a sharp smile under his hood before walking off in another direction. Aria stood still for but a moment before looking back curiously.

The cloaked figure was gone.

* * *

 

It was later than planned, but mid day with the qunari out of his cage and everyone fed at the Hawke's Aria decided now was the best time to move on. The Hawke's needed to pack now, she had told them of the possibility of approaching darkspawn hordes and wanted the kind family to be able to make it out before it's too late.

Sten had stayed stoically silent, though he thanked to matriarch in his own gruff way for feeding him and arming him with a worn broadsword that Carver did not use. That seemed to have him in somewhat higher moods as Willow and Aria hung back from the group sending their fond farewells.

"Thank you for the heads up, Bethany and I tend to avoid the Chantry since the Templar's stay there." Willow grinned at the elf who smiled back.

"I owe you and your family, it was the least I could do. Take care okay? I couldn't bare it if something happened to your family, they're such kind people."

"For humans, right?" Willow pointed out and Aria blushed in embarrassment.

"Uh, well-I…I do make it kind of obvious I'm none too comfortable around humans, don't I?"

Willow shrugged and wrapped an arm around the elf's petite shoulders.

"I don't blame you, but don't let your hesitancy hold you back Aria. You look like you've got a lot riding on your decisions."

Uthnehn barked from somewhere and Aria glanced over to find the mabari convincing Sten to pet it's head like it was a privilege. She chuckled as the tall man scrutinized the beast coldly before scratching behind its ear when he thought no one was looking.

"Here's hoping I can handle that sort of responsibility." She shook the human apostates hand and bid the family one last farewell before leading her party to the raised stone pathway that would eventually lead them onto the king's road.


	16. A Night Off

There was no sky, only sharp, jutting stalactites that she couldn't see, but knew were there. The molten heat and red glow that came from a cavernous drop only illuminated so much as she stood there. Or was she floating, Aria couldn't recall. She just knew she was in a place no sun could penetrate and there was nothing but stagnant, hot air and the deafening rumble of thousands and thousands of footsteps clad in crude metal footwear.

Flames ate at her arms as a roar so fierce shook the very walls that surrounded her. They were so far away, yet it still felt as if they were going to shift closer, closing in on her as she screamed in agony. Rocks stabbed into her knees as she fell, hands closed around her ears.

The roaring turned into a sickening mockery of song. A demonic melody that called out to her from inside the recesses of her mind that forced her eyes open, wide as the dry heat at her side burned her scared skin.

It was above her. A black god-like dragon with teeth protruding from its maw as it opened its massive jaw to sing its nightmarish tune. Notes disjointed and chaotic and hell on her ears. She screamed in resonance as she watched from her perch as the gods darkspawn children reveled deep within the earth.

Fire spread free from the corrupt dragon and melted stone. It face her and their eyes met in a horrendous show before the beast released its fire, burning Aria alive.

* * *

 

Aria wrenched the cloak she had been using as a second blanket off of her as she bolted up right. Her voice caught in her throat as her hands flew across her body, making sure nothing was missing, that nothing had been burned away into nothing. It was slow, painfully tense moment in time before her heavy breaths evened out and she groaned deeply before laying back in her makeshift bed.

Staring up at the night sky, Aria saw the very edges lightening as daybreak approached.

"Another dream?" came a voice near the dying fire. Aria turned her body on its side to face Alistair.

"More like a nightmare if you ask me." She groaned, whiping away the cold sweat at her brow. Once again she sat up, slower this time and faced Alistair as he prodded at the fire to try and get it stronger.

"If it makes you feel better, they should eventually die down in severity." He prompted, waving her over to sit by him. Aria wrapped up in her cloak and stepped over to him. Her muscles were sore from traveling for the last few days. Nothing but bandits and a few oddly placed darkspawn to add to the chaos of trying to seem as inconspicuous as possible.

Which honestly was kind of hard to do when there was a giant man amongst them who had a thing for attacking people who asked stupid questions.

Sten was certainly a man of few words and little patience and while it was intimidating Sten being who he was fascinated her more the more she asked about the qunari. It was a topic she had never read about, sure there were texts detailing their invasion so long ago, but nothing about the people culturally.

There were very few subjects Aria had taken a liking to while under the tutelage of the Circle Mages. History, mythology, the Fade, and culture, culture that she as an elf was only granted snippets of in the Alienage.

Sten had been more than a little disinterested in her own need to sate her curiosity but had given her enough to mull over as they stopped to build camp that night. It was one of those nights where the group could take a collective breather from all the fighting and rest their feet and sword arms. Each of them had dropped everything where they stood and simply set up their own personal space without a complaint until it was time to decide who would cook that night.

Morrigan had downright thrown a rock at Alistair for even thinking of picking up the ladel and Aria wasn't exactly sure it was safe to let her, who had never cooked something over the fire before, near their food for fear of burning it. Uthnehn had barked happily, but no one was sure if that was due to excitement over the prospect of food, or an offer to prepare it so Aria decided to let the others decided the food situation and took the mabari to the edge of camp to clean of the dried blood from his fur.

In the end Leliana cooked dinner and it was edible. Conversation was short and rare and none really knew what to talk about for too long. They were all more focused on what exactly they were getting themselves into.

Saving the whole of Ferelden with little to no actual plan other than some moldy treaties was still a hard concept to accept.

Aria stifled a yawn as she remembered she was up at some ungodly hour with her fellow Warden and turned to the blond man who was starting to doze, she smiled and poked his shoulder.

"Huh—wha? Where's the arched…" His tired gasp was interrupted by one of his own yawns and she pointed to his little slice of heaven, the blankets were thrown haphazardly as if he had woken up just as suddenly as she.

"Go back to sleep, I'm sure I can keep watch over the rest of you until the sun rises." She offered. Alistair looked up at her with thankful eyes; stumbling more than walking to his collection of blankets and snoring within the second. The elf snorted in amusement as she looked around the camp to check on the others.

Leliana was curled up with her bag being used as a pillow, Aria could see the faint glint of metal under it. A dagger perhaps. Sten leaned heavily against a dying tree and the elf was relieved to see his complexion was looking much less sallow than when she had first encountered him in that cage. Uthnehn was curled up at the qunari's side; for such a scary looking man he sure did seem to have a soft spot for their furry friend.

Morrigan, much like before their two new tag-a-longs, kept mostly to herself at a farther distance. She could see the witch's own bonfire as the cinders glowed, outlining the woman's figure wrapped up in her own furs.

Brushing her hand through her short locks to rid herself of bed head, Aria listened to the snores and even breathing of the others around her, even the ones from a couple dwarven merchants they had picked up along the way when they found them outnumbered by a group of darkspawn.

Bodahn and his son Sandal. They were nice, if a bit stingy with the prices of their wares despite their discount. Much to the displeasure of more than one person she agreed to let them follow them across Ferelden. In a rare moment of thinking ahead, Aria thought having a well established merchant by their side would at least get then a few perks that would be helpful. Like the large wagon and old horse used to pushed it. Bodahn was kind enough clear out a space of old wares to let them pack their own belongings so that the only things Aria and her group had to carry were the bare necessities.

It also helped that he promised to look into supplying them with actual bed rolls and warm furs like Morrigan. It was the least she could do since everyone has decided to dub her as their roundabout leader.

Aria scrunched up her nose at the greasy feel of her hair and sighed. Leaning back on her hands to look at the sky as the sun rose Aria wondered how much farther it would be until Alistair lead them into Redcliff.

* * *

 

It had taken longer than he originally planned to arrive in the dirty back alleys of Denirim to report in to his employer. He had made it a point to check up on the bloodied battle field where the Wardens and the fallen king had made their final stand. He then followed the trail given to him by the informant that had come with him, one of Teyrn Loghain's servants who was so easily replaceable if he was stuck with him until he did decide to finally make his presence known to the man in need of his talents.

He stayed only long enough to speck with the few lingering soldiers the informant educated him to be Loghain's men and then it was off to snag one of their horses to ride off towards the Arling of Denirim.

He was not charmed by the dank colors and dreary weather of Ferelden. It was cold and gloomy and the grey light the clouds gave off did nothing to make the pretty noble women walking the streets any more attractive. A shame really, so many looked positively bored and he was sure if given the chance he could certainly give them a grand time. Alas, there were too many of them and he did not have the time to enjoy them at all. He was here for business and that was it.

He entered throw a back entrance as instructed before being lead to a room much like a parlor by a quite servant elf with messy red hair. He gave them a sly grin as the servant left and a man by the name of Howe introduced himself.

Howe would certainly not be winning any fond regards from him. A man who was looking down his unattractive nose at the assassin he had asked for by letter in Antiva. He was use to these types, noblemen who believed he better than most, a man on his high horse who believed he could not be ousted for any crime he would commit to, but felt too entitled to carry it out himself.

Hence his presence in Ferelden.

"You are late, I expected you to arrive at a more appropriate time." Howe sniffed as the foreigner pulled down his hood, the room was much too hot with the fire place roaring and the torches illuminating the historical art pieces scattered across the stone walls.

"I felt the need to gather my own information on the matter before gracing you with my presence. It seems to be thought more than one person survived that little battle your would-be king decided to skip out on." He grinned; Howe frowned, but accepted the excuse and turned on his heel, the assassin took that as a sign to follow.

"It is for precisely that reason as to why you are here." The noble huffed in that unpleasantly nasally voice that made his impassive expression flicker once. He hated unpleasant sounds, they gave him headaches and grated on his nerves.

They stopped at a set of thick double doors and was told to wait until his presence was wanted.

Untying the cloak from his shoulders to reveal the well crafted leather armor underneath, the assassin sighed through his nose and leaned against the wall nearby to wait for his dramatic cue.

Meeting Teryn Loghain was much less exciting than Howe was probably making it out to be. Loghain was just a man, as was he and Howe. They could all be killed and they were both nothing but a pouch of gold coin and a trip out of Antiva for a while.

"The Antivan Crows send their regards." He greeted the man with his stern dark eyes, he was still in full armor which he thought was unnecessary at best; Loghain wasn't the one he was hired to kill after all. The teryns displeased expression only seemed to darken as he cast the other Fereldan a cross look as he grabbed at the studded goblet at the edge of the table between them.

"An assassin?" he spat.

"Against Grey Warden's we will need the very best, sire."

"And the most expensive." The assassin pointed out with a habitual sly gleam in his eye as he studies the men before him. Loghain, with all his pompous armor looked hardly a threat with his sunken eyes and half drunken goblet in hand.

Loghain shook his head and cast a side long glance his way, a scathing sort of look before he sighed agitatedly.

"Just get it done." It sound more reluctant than pleased, yet he didn't spend the time wondering about it as Howe sent him a pleased look.

The assassin sent no longer contemplating the two men's obvious difference in using him for their own gain and simply bowed his head before making his way out. He had some tracking to do and a trap to set.


	17. Ashes of the Dead

Aria stared up into the less than pleased expression of Sten in silence. Aria held out a bowl of whatever it was that had been made that night with an extra piece of hard bread. Sten was sitting, his arms crossed as he refused to let up the more than intimidating stare he was giving the young woman, who, strangely enough had yet to back down after the five minutes since it had started.

"Ste—"

"No."

"But Sten—"

"No."

"But I'm—"

"Concerned? No need, I am fit enough to fight." Sten growled in annoyance. The mage flinched at the harsh tone but furrowed her brows before stubbornly facing the man again.

"No." she challenged. "You were in that cage for weeks and no one was feeding you. Humans become very ill if not given water in three days!" She argued back with an edge to her voice the other humans in the camp had not heard before. If there was one thing that they had learned about the Warden, was that she hardly seemed to be willing to raise her voice.

Alistair raised a brow and caught Leliana's gaze as they ate their share, the woman giggled as they watch the elf shove the bowl into Stens hands before standing up.

"I couldn't care less about your ability to decapitate darkspawn as long as you start looking not so…pale." She stated.

"I'm supposed to be pale." He pointed out as he spooned a mouthful of stew into his mouth. Aria perked up, feeling accomplished before sitting back in her own spot, Uthnehn curled up at her feet as he gnawed on a deer bone.

Leliana snorted in amusement.

* * *

 

There was something distinctly untrustworthy about a man stuck in a less traveled part of Ferelden after his mule runs off and you are given a magic stick for no other reason than the guy thought it controlled a weapon of mass destruction.

Bohdan had mentioned a pass that was less traveled than the Kings Road that would have shaved off a few hours from their journey to Redcliff. She trusted the Dwarf well enough to not get them lost and frankly, she had been relying on Alistair for map reading because she couldn't make heads or tail of which way was west and which way was east. Bodan looked like he knew what he was doing.

Until they ran into the guy who had the fancy stick who was just off the beaten road. He looked more worn and ragged than any of them with an old wagon with a thick cloth spread over whatever wares were on it.

Aria's first and foremost thought as she watched the average looking man and his elven assistant-she was more than sure he was a slave, but the fact that it had been a female elf leading the caravan of mostly humans must have intimidated the man into not speaking the 's' word—leave them after the mules retrieval was mostly how in the world did they come across a relatively harmless metal stick and think:

'Control Rod of Doom'

She looked at the offending device skeptically before turning back to watch the road as the merchant and his slave disappeared in the distance. She couldn't deny the latent spark of something locked deep within the rod, it didn't feel exactly like magic. She was curious enough to pack it away to study later, but not interested enough to drop what they were doing to look for the village the man had mentioned.

"That man was obviously lying to you elf, why did you not kill him? That human has insulted whatever intelligence you should claim you have." Sten crossed his arms in a now familiar way she was starting to file under 'Unamused with your life choices' expression. Because Sten did not particularly emote more than give her facial expressions and glares.

She was fine with it though. It was cute in a way a giant man eating bear looks at you and thinks about mauling you before he actually goes about the mauling. Alistair, of course, didn't appreciate Sten-speak as much as she. And Morrigan has just opted to give him her own snarky expressions while Leliana didn't quite seem to get the memo and still tried to start the occasional after lunch or dinner conversation.

"Er, I don't think he was as much insulting my intelligence as he was throwing a stick he more than likely stole from that village he mentioned coming from." Aria pursed her lips.

"I don't think the man entirely lied, either that, or he has just as little idea what this rod is than any of us, or he really believes it goes to some crazy weapon."

"It does have a strange energy about it, none I've ever felt at least." Morrigan eyed the elf's bag where she had stuffed the stick.

"Great, we're just going to decide it's ok to keep the possibly magical item none of us understand?" Alistair groaned.

* * *

 

The road to Redcliff was a surprisingly peaceful one. Next to no Darkspawn or even bandits escaping the lower regions of Fereldan had been encountered.

Aria rubbed the back of her neck, the muscles sore. Their small caravan of Dwarves, humans, and one elf and qunari had been traveling down the dusty road for hours today still. Around them the land had changed the third day of travel. Instead of the occasional tree and dying yellow grass with flatter lands from the local farmers, the land opened up into familiar open fields with low rolling hills and hawks flying in the distance. She'd noticed the sky was not as grey as was so common in Fereldan. Today, thick clouds were broken up in places and allowed warm sunlight to tickle their faces as Bohdan asked for a short break to give their old stead pulling their cart some water.

Stopping right off the road, the group took this time to gulp down whatever was still in their waterskins as Aria stretched her back to let it pop. She grunted, pleased at the relief of pressure on her bones before looking ahead. Her eyes scanned the faint silhouettes in the distance, it was far, but Aria was sure even now, so close to Lake Callenhads shores she could see the top of the Circle from the middle of the body of water.

A sour taste was on her tongue as she narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips. They would have to go there too eventually. Swallowing thickly she thought of the one man who used to make the Circle bearable. More startled than anything, she shook her head to rid herself of the image of that…person. She had no time to feel that sickening betrayal since Duncan had taken her away before her possible execution. Yes, she would certainly have to go back to confront what she had left at the tower, but for now their first stop was Redcliff. And Aria was perfectly comfortable with that.

From behind her, Alistair's heavy footsteps joined her in scoping out the distance to their destination. He shuffled about and Aria waited for him to speak since he certainly looked to be in the need to say something.

"So uh…We'll probably arrive in Redcliff by early evening if we keep up the pace we're going." He started. The mage gave him a look as if to ask him to continue. The man slumped his shoulders.

"We might have a small problem meeting with the Arl." He confessed. Aria turned her head warily to catch him in time to see him rub the back of his neck.

"Exactly what kind of trouble Alistair?" she almost regrets asking by the time the blond man rambled off on a tangent. Morrigan and Leliana both looked to them with varying expressions. Sten, however, was too interested in his waterskin to care.

"The Arl of Redcliff was ill from what Donell told me while we were at the Lothering Chantry."

"And you didn't think to tell us this before we set out?" Morrigan wrinkled her nose in annoyance. Aria, honestly had to agree with her on that one and she was she the look she gave the muttering warrior was as good a sign as any when he shrunk back.

"Look I…I know Arl Eamon ok, he's always been a pretty sturdy old man so I didn't think too much of it at first. He's had the sniffles before, sure, but it never lasted more than a few days." Alistair shrugged before he became nervous again.

"If that's so, you still should have mentioned this Alistair. We need to know if he is even in a condition to supply us with soldiers. Is there anything else?" The elf fretted.

"Sadly…yeah." He nodded. "What had me so conflicted on saying anything about it in the first place was the topic brought up while Donell and I were talking. Apparently the Arlesa believes the ailment so bad she's sent many of their guard out in search of some ancient relic of magical healing properties."

"…Wait—what?" Aria held up a hand with a dubious look as the others watch the conversation unfold.

"Err…yeeeah, about that. Apparently they think seeking out the Sacred Ashes of Andraste will get the Arl back up and running the place." The warrior shrunk back as he rubbed the back of his neck. It was a strange sight. A man of Alistair's stature, slumping his shoulders in defeat as the elf that didn't even reach his chin stared at him with such a torn expression.

Aria pinched the bridge of her nose and groaned childishly at these turn of events.

"What in the world are the Ashes of Andraste…I know the name of your Maker's bride—but ashes?" she felt like whatever the answer, they would be doomed.

"The Ashes…" Leliana gasped as she brought a hand to her parted lips. A far off look in her pale eyes as she lost herself in her thoughts. The majority of the groups stared at the rogue as if wanting her to continue her trailed off thoughts. It took a moment, mostly because Sten got impatient with her. The woman cleared her throat in embarrassment before looking up from her thoughts.

"Right…I have to remember, not everyone here is as…ah versed in the lore or history of the bride."

"Does this bride have any connection to this dead woman's ashes the blond one mentioned." Sten grunted.

"Hey—this 'blond one' has a name!"

Aria groaned, the group surprisingly quick to get off topic.

"Leliana, these ashes, what are they about?" she asked.

"It was said that after Andraste was burned at the stake her ashes were then smuggled out of the Tevinter Imperium and brought to Ferelden by one of her Disciples. It had been speculated that the holy ashes of the bride herself held powerful healing properties. Certainly, if the Arlesa believed her husband's illness so great, if the ashes were to be used he would recover." Leliana pointed out.

"…Wouldn't inhaling the ashes of the dead be disrespectful?" Sten turned to the elf, Aria glanced up at him.

"You would think…I don't understand the Andrastean beliefs. But usually, yes, sniffing the ashes of the dead is considered quite rude."

"Uh…I don't think the 'healing properties' of the ashes involve, uh, sniffing them." Alistair sighed.

"We don't even know if these ashes exist. They very well might need to be inhaled." Aria shrugged and turned away. Bohdan was just starting to buckle his horse back to his wagon. He looked up and gave her the go ahead to start moving again.

"Ok, anymore life altering knowledge we need to know about, Alistair?" the mage asked.

"…Well…"

There was a collective set of groans between the rest of the party.

* * *

 

Warmth from the sun, that was just starting to hide behind the tall pine trees in the distance, started leaving their leathers and metals as the group started to travel along the border of Lake Callenhad. Tall, stiff grass barely bent in the cool breeze coming from the lake as they walked down the path on either side of the caravan. Underfoot, the earth was soft and fertile as Alistair and Sten assisted Bohdan's wagon and horse so they did not get stuck. He was thanking the two men profusely. However, Aria was once more, too distracted to pay much mind to them as she kept her gaze out towards the body of water. That familiar feeling of dread she had gotten before most anything bad had happened hadn't left her since they arrived at the final stretch of their journey.

Inside, she knew it wasn't the Tower they were heading to, but the fact it could be seen around the whole perimeter of the lake was not lost to the mage.

A hand grasped at her shoulder and she jumped before turning to see Morrigan giving her a less than content expression. Her eyes flickered from her to the silhouette in the distance. It wasn't sympathy, the elf wasn't too sure what it was behind the witch's eyes. Indifference? Exasperation, annoyance?

"It was only ever you and your mother, right Morrigan? Living in the Korcari Wilds, I mean." she suddenly asked as the older woman snorted.

"Why ask me such a question? I do not probe you for pointless information do I?" she shot back, hand suddenly gone from Aria's shoulder as the dark haired woman crossed her arms. The elf held up a hand in a placating manner to the snarky comment.

"Well, I mean, you can if you want to. I'm not stopping you from asking me questions either."

Morrigan looked as if she had just about stumbled over her own feet, yet she seemed to save face easy enough so Aria simply raised a brow. The dark haired human looked down at the elf with a furrowed brow, looking for all the world off put that she was willing to share if Morrigan was willing. After what seemed like a terse silence between them, Morrigan frowned unsurely before nodding.

"Yes I…for as long as I know it had only been my mother and I. For a time though, I had often wandered off into the nearby villages, just to see what the 'outside' world was like. T'was a long time ago though, and I no longer feel the need or want to understand human customs." She answered.

"Human customs? But aren't you human yourself?" she tugged the tip of one of her own pointed ears for emphasis. Though Morrigan still seemed less than pleased, she huffed.

"It's the touching, why all the touching for simple greetings?!" The two turned back to eye both Leliana and Alistair as he scrubbed off dirt from his nose. Leliana looked up from checking the tips of her arrows to give them a curious smile. The two mages glanced at each other and Aria shrugged.

"I never thought of that…In…in the Circle Mage's aren't allowed much, uh, physical contact between each other. Even simple hugs are well, supervised? I guess would be one way to put it."

A light clicking of their heels and clack of the wooden wheels of the wagon informed the group they were back on the main road towards Redcliff now. They still passed mostly unhindered by other travelers for a time. But there were more of the occasional merchant or group of what looked to be soldiers that crossed their paths. Some stared.

Aria kept her head down self-consciously and turned away in the direction of the lake once more when those types passed.

"You make it worse by shying away like a child." Morrigan spoke up. The elf looked over to her as she hummed.

"It's become a horrible habit. 'Make yourself as small as possible, as quiet as you can so you don't bring attention to yourself'" she sighed.

"You should break it then, if the likes of Loghain's soldiers see they are up against nothing but a scared mouse they will laugh themselves to oblivion."

Aria's humorless laugh was empty.

"You don't sugar coat your words ever, do you?"

"There would be no point to baby you Warden. This is war and you are going to need to grow up fast." she lectured as she stared straight ahead, while Aria still had her attention focused in the distance. Morrigan was right, of course. But growing up now so late in the game was going to be far harder, she thinks, than said.

"Ah, well there's the road that leads up to Redcliffs entrance!" Bodhan spoke up loudly as he pointed up to a branching road winding up a hill. Smoke could be seen slightly through the parted clouds as well as the tips of what Alistair said would be the Arl's manor.

There was a clear air of relief amongst them all. Tired limbs and an eagerness to meet with the Arl and accomplish their first step into concurring the Blight and Loghain's treachery. As the party headed up the road to their destination, Alistair pulled Aria to the back of the group, that familiar 'I have to tell you something' expression clear as day on his face. Yet, his pursed lips and almost painful grip on her unscared arm told her he struggled with the right words. The elf gave him a tired nod.

"Tell me when you're ready." She sighed, patting his hand and walking with him to catch up to the others.


	18. Zombie Land

It looked as if a battle had been raging in the worn streets of the village of Redcliff for several days. Worn barricades of wood sharpened to a point at the tips had been placed strategically throughout the dirt road a tired and war torn villager lead the group through. It hadn't seemed to help defend against whatever threat had enveloped the people though. The sharpened logs were nicked from weapons, some had fallen loose from their binds and fallen off their stands.

Small fires were being stomped out as the sound of a child crying could be heard in the distance. Aria's hands dangled at her side, clinched into fists as she felt her nails dig into her flesh. The climbing hills and cliff faces that made up the defensible village loomed over the people and blocked out the rare rays of the sun, once more, casting the party in a dreary shadow.

The man that lead them into the village square was too young to be considered middle aged, at least by human standards. Because while elves were just as fragile and mortal as the humans, elves still had the tendency to look as if they were ageless, looking as young as twenty when in fact, they were far older. It was easy to tell a rounded age to humans, they wrinkled easily.

He walked with a limp and Liliana had pointed out he should not be walking on it, sprained or broken. It was hard to tell with his baggy cotton pants that were stained with dirt and blood.

When the party had made it to the bridge that allowed them to cross a wildly rushing body of water this man had been standing there, waiting. The moment he caught Aria's eyes she could see the tension leave his shoulders, there was a weak hope in his tired eyes. News of Redcliff being under constant, nightly attacks had Alistair squirming in his boots, his eyes said 'We need to do something!', though the warrior himself looked about two seconds from rushing the Arl's estate. It looked like it visibly hurt the man to realize that, no, they were not sent by Denerim, or the king, or some worried noble. Just a rag tag group passing through in need of speaking to the mysteriously fallen Arl, locked away in his castle, ill.

It didn't take much convincing though, to hand out their assistance to the weakened village and despite Sten's clear disapproval of her pointless hand holding of the frightened human she convinced him the only way they could truly accomplish what they planned to do here counted on making sure the people of Redcliff survived another night.

Yet, with all that the villager had informed them of, nightly attacks, ghastly figures and the smell of death that would drag horrified peasants to their end. Aria was not prepared for the condition they were met with of both the village and people as the man lead them to the only sanctuary fortified to withstand the continuous attacks. The Chantry.

The ground at their feet was nothing but dry dirt, their footsteps kicking up dust. They avoided the darker patches, they looked like drying blood, it probably was and it made their stomachs clench in dread. Liliana watched an older woman drag along two small children that were clinging to her tattered skirts as if their life depended upon it. And in reality, it probably did. There were blood splatters that looked like many had been dragged away after collapsing.

Alistair had to look away to a line of village men, one as old as sixty practicing his aim with a bow and arrow. None seemed to be holding it right and the rogue of the party grasped at her own bow with a strained look. Sten's scowl had not left his face even once, opting to keep his attention to their guide than the pitiful humans that hung on with no pride in their shaky steps.

More barricades had been set up around the village square; however, much of it had been scorched with fire. Its corners still burning for there was no one to put it out.

Aria covered her mouth at the putrid stench of burning flesh and death that hung over the people and its buildings. It stung at her eyes as she blinked. It reminded her of the fires set at Ostagar. The only reprieve she had was the distinct lack of screaming exchanged for muffled sobs of the wounded.

The cabins and shops were in shabby condition, windows boarded up and shutters were being peeked through by frightened civilians as the group passed weathered farmers and young men that Sten and Alistair both knew did not have a single trained warrior in their ranks. Their guide had the same untrained quality in the way he fiddled with the hilt of his rusted old sword. It was improperly cared for and had dried blood stains around the blade. It was a warriors disgrace.

Their first steps into the Chantry were hollow and sounded as if they were the only noise to be heard for miles in the stifling, unnerving silence of the villagers that watched them with an emotion deep within their tired eyes that Aria could only wish to identify. She looked back at the people, the injured and the sick as they handled their makeshift weapons unsurely or slouched in early defeat or acceptance of their certain demise. The human children with their round ears and hollow eyes stared up at her as if she were their wished and sought upon savior in their daily nightmare. It scared her. Scared her so bad that the mage could feel a lump in her throat try to choke her as the panic spread in her.

Before the door to the Chantry could close on her and block out those desperate, silent screams for help, a child who had been hiding behind the heels of a sallow looking sister ran to her with no regard.

The aged woman gasped in shock as she watched the dirty thing latch onto Aria's leg, their knuckles turning white as their nails dug into her leather pants. Aria tensed, her back straight as a lamp post as her companions halted when they heard her footsteps falter.

The eyes of the haunted child stared up at her, no words were spoken, all the villagers tense and high strung as they watched the scene unfold. A human child clinging to the legs of an elven woman wearing nothing but torn scraps of clothing two sizes too big and with bandages wrapped around their head and legs.

Gaping in a show of just how unsure she was to handle this the sister stepped forward, her arms held out as if wanted to beckon the child back to her side, away from the strange elf decked out in far more leathers than any of the men currently dropping their own weapons in tense confusion. However, still caught in the child's chilling gaze, Aria held out a hand to halt the woman without a sound and gently placed a hand on the child's skinny arm.

The people and her party watched in rapt attention as slowly, the elf unhinged the little boy's hands off her leg to kneel down and catch his eyes on more equal ground. Shakily, Aria gave the boy a smile.

"What's your name Da'len?" she asked.

"W-Weber, are you here to save us?" he pleaded; his hands that still lay in her grasp clinched her dainty fingers. Aria chose not to answer him just yet.

"Weber? I like your name, you can call me Aria. Weber, where are your Mamae, you mother?" she asked softly, letting the boy cling to her hands as he bit his chapped lips. But the sister answered for him.

"H-His mother was taken from him in the last attack, he is an orphan now…"

Aria looked up at the woman, then to her companions, all with differing looks of concern or indifference. Morrigan looked awkward as she tried to shuffle further into the Chantry, eyes pointedly not looking at the scene she and the child were making of themselves. Turning back to the boy, her brown eyes softened, bringing a hand to his smudged cheek to wipe away the tears threatening to fall from his eyes. He looked at her in rapt attention, it made her heart squeeze.

Looking at the other children not too far from them, all hiding behind the sister, with the outstretched hands, she bit her lip. They were all much younger than Weber.

"It must have been scary, Da'len," Aria pet the boy's cheek with her thumb as she spoke. "But I am sure your mother is happy that you made it through, isn't that right?"

Slowly, the boy nodded, sniffling a little as the tears returned full force, she murmured few words in a soothing elvish lilt, there was little chance he knew what she said, but they sounded like what she remembered her mother saying to her when night would fall and she felt scared.

"And…and now my friends and I are here. We will end this nightmare, and you will be safe." She breathed, she gave him a brisk nod before the hands left hers to wrap around her neck in a strong hug. Aria, not expecting such an action wasn't sure what to do but pat the boy's head until he released her with a watery smile that she returned before Liliana helped her back to her feet. Both women watched with heavy hearts as the Weber joined the smaller children, then the villagers, before turning back to the Chantry and disappearing behind their closed doors without another word.

* * *

 

Walking down the hall to the sanctuary showed the people inside seeking refuge were no better off than the people outside this moment. A young woman sobbed frantically about her missing little brother and many more prayed for an end to their suffering.

They approached a tall, broad shouldered man with red hair and a sword and shield strapped to his back. Alistair got a strange look to his eyes as the man glanced their way before sending off the person they had been talking to.

"You're…Tomas, right?" he asked and cast Aria and her group a questioning glance. Alistair nearly choked as he inhaled sharply.

"Who are these strangers? Too well armored to be a simple travelers, that's for sure."

"I met with them at the front of the town, I thought it best to bring them to you." Tomas admitted. The man, who seemed to be in charge nodded.

"I see, good work then Tomas," He turned to Aria. "My name is Teagan, the Bann of Rainsfere, brother to the Arl." He introduced.

"I remember you, Bann Teagan," Alistair gave a strained look as Aria turned to watch him, moving so that he was in sight of the Bann. "Though, last time we met I was a lot younger…and covered in mud." He snorted as if remembering a fond memory. Bann Teagan squinted his eyes in confusion before leaning in just slightly to look closer at the blonde warrior.

"Covered in mud?...Alistair? It is you, isn't it? You're alive?" Teagan gasped, but nonetheless looking pleased.

"This is wonderful news!" his hands found Alistair's armored ones as the Warden gave the man a sarcastic smile.

"Still alive, yes, though not for long if Teyrn Loghain has anything to say about it." Alistair sighed.

"Indeed," Teagan agreed, "Loghain would rather us believe all Grey Warden's died along with my nephew, amongst other things."

"You don't believe in Loghain's lies?" Aria spoke up just then, she would have assumed most had believed the nobleman's words seeing as he now stood at the thrown. Props to the Bann for not looking surprised as she interrupted and answer her with a coarse sound and a sharp shake of his head, as if it was stupid to believe the words of Loghain to be truth.

"What, that he pulled his men in order to save them? That Cailan risked everything in the name of glory? Hardly." He scoffed at her.

"Loghain calls the Grey Warden's traitors and murderers of the king! I don't believe it. It is an act of a desperate and delusional man, blinded by the true threat to our soil." He ended his rant with a self-conscious cough as if realizing who he was talking to and looked more closely at her. Aria tried not to fidget.

"Sorry, you ah…You are a Grey Warden too, I assume."

Aria nodded.

"I am, I was conscripted not long before the battle at Ostagar."

Bann Teagan held out his hand as he straightened his back in a more diplomatic greeting than at the start of this conversation. Politely, the elf took his hand and they shook.

"Then it is a pleasure to meet you. Though I wish it were under much better circumstances."

"Speaking of, we were hoping to get an audience with the Arl." Liliana murmured.

"Yes, we wanted to see if there was any way he could support us against the Blight." Aria agreed.

"But…" Alistair eyed Teagan with such palpable concern. "Is what I heard from one of his soldiers in Lothering true? Is Eamon sick?"

"Unfortunately, yes." Teagan bowed his head as Morrigan clicked her tongue.

"How convenient." She muttered, Sten nodded in agreement.

"No one has heard from the castle in days. And I haven't seen a single guard patrol the walls and I can't get so much as a 'Hi' from just shouting at the top of my lungs. The attacks only started a few nights ago…evil things surged from the castle. We've driven them back, but many of the locals have perished, as you probably saw outside there were more homes than people living in them."

"These 'evil things', what are they really?" Aria asked. Teagan looked a bit concerned.

"Some have taken to calling them the walking dead, they look like human corpses, rotting flesh and stench and a hunger for human flesh if we already didn't know, watching them drag away loved ones as they do. The night after they hit us with greater numbers." The nobleman sighed and ran a hand over his face as he wallows in the stress. Teagan slumps against the banister that was decorated with historic engravings of what Aria assumed was the prophet Andraste as they watched the man before them tear at the seams.

"With Cailan dead and Loghain starting a war over the throne, no one has responded to my urgent messages for help…I fear this night will be the worst yet, maybe even out last." He looks up at us.

"Alistair, I hate to ask, but I desperately need you and your friends. If there is anything—"

"You don't have to ask, Teagan." Alistair assured him. "Aria had already agreed to assist, haven't you?" he grinned towards her and the elf laughed as the little boy from earlier came to mind.

"Yes, there was never any doubt I would agree to help." She nodded.

"There are no darkspawn here, and nothing to be gained. This is a fool's errand." Sten inserted himself into the conversation.

"No Sten," Aria turned to the man behind her with a pointed look, the pale giant seemed to purse his lips at her. "If there is a chance we could save the Arl and get his alliance then that is one less problem to worry about. We have to try."

Sten opened his mouth as if to argue with her, but snapped it shut.

"Fine."

The Bann thanked them profusely. Informing them all on who to talk to as well as a few people he thought important for them to try and speak with to bolster their numbers. In the end, with so much that could be done to increase the remaining villagers chances of survival, Aria had everyone split up, assisting those best left in their hands.

Sten made a bee-line for the men flailing around their swords to yank one right out of a young man's hands and Liliana chased after him to make sure no one was killed. Or thrown in prison again.

Alistair was sent to go speak with the remaining Templars at the village windmill, while Aria agreed to let Morrigan go back to the local tavern where they were going to stay for the night to concoct any necessary remedies and poultices they may need during the night.

This left Aria and Uthnehn to their own devices to speak with a few troubled locals about helping improve the chances of those actually fighting.

First thing she decided to do was speak with the mayor. And after Uthnehn almost bite him for making a comment on her race and gender and the fact she was a Grey Warden she was able to glean a few more bits of information from him.

The rest of her daylight was spent knocking on doors and promising a smelly drunk of a blacksmith that if she and her companions were to be able to storm the castle she would search for his missing daughter, a maid that worked under the Arlesa.

Navigating the labyrinth of alleys the homes made as they stacked upon one another, sometimes three at a time, with nothing but sturdy wooden planks and metal reinforcement was both nerve wracking and intriguing. The buildings so high at both her right and left cast her in shadows as the children whose families had been taken by the undead scampered around her feet. They helped her. When she would lose her way through the village they would grab at her hands or tunic and drag her off and into the path lit up in midday sun.

They spoke to her and she spoke to them. Despite the times, the violence and the war Aria was amazed how the children of Redcliff were still very much children, even if their eyes sometimes reflect the horrors that they had witnessed the last few days and one or more asked to be lifted into her arms because they liked the way she made them feel safe.

Safe…

Aria had never had someone say they felt safe under her care. She had never had someone under her care before…She doesn't could the strange people she was collecting either since they were grown men and women and should be able to protect themselves. However, these children, that clung to her and stared up at her not because she is an elf and they aren't suppose to like her, but because in their eyes she was going to be their savior. The hero to make the bad guys leave.

She brushed the tangled locks of the little girl in her arms that had hid her face in the junction between her neck and shoulder. Her chest rumbled with the melody she hummed of an old elvish lullaby she could remember. The child in her arms was breathing easily as they walked through town after they begged her to walk with them.

Though she wanted to check on Morrigan, it had been a few hours since everyone had split up to do what they thought was right to prepare. Glancing around the village square, she studiously ignored the questioning looks many of the human adults were giving her as the children flocked around her like ducklings. She actually spotted the sister charged to look after them glancing over worriedly as someone handed her a cup of water and bread.

Sten and Leliana were still dutifully teaching the men how the use their weapons of choice. There was no sign of Alistair though, so she assumed he was still at the windmill. Passing through the barricades to the Chantry, she lead the children back to the sister with an apologetic smile.

"Sorry, they sort of just herded around me and I didn't know what to do." She told the sister who sighed, but seemed little more than relieved.

"It's fine, honestly I haven't seen Weber and the others here quite so playful since before the assaults. It's quite nice to see them playing." The woman pat the steps she was sitting on in indication Aria should join her. The elf complied and shifted slowly so as not to bother the little girl still happily snug in her arms.

Both women sat without words as the children took to sitting around them to watch as Sten slapped the back of one man's head without mercy. The mage winced in sympathy.

"You're friends have been training the men without break for many hours, no one besides the Templars and the few castle guards that had made it here into the village before the attacks had ever really been trained. Maybe with this they will be better equipped to defend themselves and the women and children."

"The blacksmith will also be working to reinforce the ruined weapons and armor provided, that should help." Aria added, the dwarven merchant and his two thugs she had convinced to leave his locked home was out and about, working on fixing oil from the stores in places as well as patching up the barricades that had been brought to shambles.

"You're going to be fighting too, right?" one of the children asked, tugging at the wrap that covered most of her scars on her arm. Aria turned to them and nodded.

"I will, I promised Weber I'd make the monsters go away." She grinned.

"Do you fight with swords?"

"No, do you fight with a mace?"

The children asked one after another as their eyes gleamed in curiosity. Though their questioning did make her just a tad nervous as she shook her head in the negative each time.

"No, I don't need weapons like swords or shields to fight, all I need are my hands. I am a mage." She admitted softly, a soft will-o-the-wisp made from blue magic formed if her free hand, away from the child in her arms. The sister gasped, but Aria turned to her with a reassuring smile.

"I won't hurt you, or the children. The magic is safe to touch." She reassured. In wonder the human children ooh-ed and ahh-ed at the odd ball of energy. Surely none had seen an actual mage before, despite their close proximity to the Circle.

Being the oldest, and bravest it seemed, Weber curiously reached out to wriggled his fingers in the simple arcane spell in the palm of her hand. He gasped as he feel nothing but a cool sensation run through his finger tips, making them tingle, but nothing more.

"I thought mages were supposed to be sinner's?" One kid asked. "That's what the sisters teach at the Chantry."

The sister coughed at the child's straightforward question and though Aria caught her eye, neither really knew what to say to each other. So, Aria elected to give her own opinion. Because she could do that now.

"I don't know much of what your Chant of Light says about mages. I recall only one line, told to me over and over again as I grew up in the Circle: 'Magic is to serve man, not rule over him'. I find the Chantry takes it too far by trying to rule magic instead of letting it serve its purpose openly, by serving us and protecting us. We are demonized because we can destroy, just as easily as we can create and instead of letting the mage's integrate into society, helping people grow comfortable and accustomed to it we are locked away in Circles to be ruled over by man." Aria explained, extinguishing the will-o-the-wisp despite the children's protests. She looked down at them from her seat with an amused smile.

"The chantry believes the treachery of a few hundreds of thousands of years ago is the treachery of hundreds or thousands of mages now, even though none of us were the ones to cause it and should not be blamed for having a gift no one but its bearer can understand fully."

"But the Circles are just as much a safe place for you to study as it is to protect us." The sister spoke.

"Would you still believe that sister if you saw the treatment of some mages? Are we truly being protected when we are unable to learn how the world outside our towers work? When we are being abused by Templars and feel there is no way out other than a forbidden magic even mages find disturbing. We are judged and pushed, locking us away does not fix the problem you think we have. It just makes us more easy targets." Somehow, Aria wasn't so sure she was talking about mage's in general as she pursed her lips and relaxed her tense shoulders. She handed off the sleeping girl in her arms to the sister.

"I need to check on a few of my friends. Stay safe." She brushed off the woman and stood. Waving to Leliana and Sten as she headed up the path.

* * *

 

She opened the door to the tavern and walked past a red headed wench and cast her gaze across the few tables around the first floor to see if Morrigan was there. She wasn't so Aria caught the woman's attention and asked around.

"That woman with the dark hair? Yes, she's here, right up the stairs with those herbs of hers."

The mage thanked the woman with a tip of a few gold pieces after selling off a few things no one no longer needed earlier in the day and headed to the flight of stairs. Almost immediately she spotted the witch grinding a concoction of herbs in a mortar. Concentrated solely on her task the woman hadn't bothered to greet her as the elf found a seat across from her and waited until Morrigan was done.

"I've found something you may find an interest in. Could possibly explain why our Arl has fallen ill." She murmured under her breath, not setting the mortar down yet. Aria perked up, not expecting such news and let her continue.

"The bar wench here has mentioned the strange behavior of another patron, the dark haired male elf sitting in the farthest corner from us, first floor, near the door."

Without a word, Aria leaned back until her back hit the railings and craned her neck to peer down at the ground floor. The tables were mostly empty, though she did spot Bodahn and Sandal enjoying their third plate of…some kind of animal leg. Turkey, or lamb, she wasn't sure. But sure enough, just out of sight sat a lone male elf. His dark brown hair was pulled back into a loose braid and he seemed a sallow color, as if whatever be on his might it had sucked up all the color.

He didn't particularly look like a thug, but he was drinking straight from a wine glass and looked more than a little spooked when the barmaid would walk by.

Now, Aria may not know much about finding out motives through nothing but body language. But Morrigan was right in him seeming so tense.

"You sure he isn't just nervous about the nightly attacks? Many people in town are restless too." She informed her friend. But Morrigan shook her head and looked up at her for a second before returning her concentration to picking out a few stems of nightshade.

"The girl said he did not show up until the day before the attacks started. When she attempted some pointless small talk, the man said something about waiting for his brother. 'Tis an obvious lie."

"Think it's wise to meddle in this? If he's bothering the barmaid I wouldn't mind seeing what's wrong with him, but I don't want to bother anyone by throwing my weight around." The elf hummed in contemplation. Morrigan snorted and Aria was sure the witch rolled her eyes.

"You would hardly call 'being nosy' as 'throwing your weight around'. You hardly have the presence to do that anyways, silly girl." The witch's lips twitched in diluted amusement. It brought a laugh to Aria lips, she sighed and stood up.

"I suppose that is true, I'll call if he give me any trouble."

"Please don't." Aria heard the woman's snarky remark as she descended down the stairs to the corner of the tavern. The man noticed her approach soon enough when he furrowed his brows. His eyes flickered across her face before turning away to the door.

"Sorry, uh, not looking for company."

Aria blinked at the man before brushing off the comment.

"You would think after waiting for some brother that hasn't showed up for a few days you would go out in town to look for him. Or you would realize he might have been carried off by the creatures attacking at night." Aria crossed her arms in a show of nonchalance. The elven man flinched and shuffled around in his seat uncomfortably under her gaze. He tried to clear his throat before speaking.

"Uh…no reason…It's just, uh, my what?"

Aria tilted her head in confusion, catching the equally confused expression of the other.

"You told the barmaid you were here waiting for your brother…You are here for this brother, right?"

"Oh, uh, yes…my brother was supposed to meet me here. But I got stuck here once the monsters from the castle started attacking." He tried, glancing away from her in his nervousness.

"But, wouldn't you help with the fighting then? At the very least to find out if your brother was safe?" she questioned again.

"I was told I didn't have to." Was his almost immediate reply. "I…stay in the chantry at night and…just come here to uh, be alone. That's all." He crossed his arms now and leaned a little away from Aria from where he sat.

"Now look, you're very pretty, but I was told to…er…Just leave me alone."

Aria didn't think she would have gotten such a slip; she caught the red haired maid eyeing them from the table she was cleaning. She looked conflicted, however Aria flashed her smile and waved her handed in a way to say she had it handled.

It felt kind of nice, taking charge like this. Being nosey or no, the shiver down her spine as she asserted herself would have gotten her in trouble at the Circle. Making this man nervous was…interesting? She couldn't describe the way it felt.

"'Told to', who told you to do what?" she stared at him evenly, taking only the smallest step closer to his seat. The elf gulped shaking his head as the mage watched the him pale, caught in his mistake. The gears in his head already working, trying to fix it.

"Nothing!" he squeaked a little too loudly. "Nobody told me to do anything. Just because you're a Grey Warden—"

Aria heard a tray somewhere in the background clatter, but Aria stopped hearing much after that as her spine straightened. This time she was the tense one as she stared, taken aback by what he called her.

"I…I never mentioned a thing about who I am." She breathed out in one long sigh before holding her face in a hand. She looked down at the man who looked even more like he would be shot with an arrow at any moment.

Taking a moment to calm her beating heart, Aria raised her hand in surrender as she took a tentative seat next to the elf, but far enough that neither of them were in the others personal space.

"Look, if you know who I am then you know it will be a lot easier if you and I talking this out. I don't want any trouble, but you are making some people uncomfortable. I just wanted to help them out while I'm here." She gave him. Her words seemed to help ease the very palpable stress in the man's stance as eventually he released a heavy sigh.

"But I…oh, fine, alright. Just don't hurt me." He pleaded. "Look, they just paid me to watch the castle and send word if anything should change."

"But they never said anything about monsters," the elf shivered. "I haven't even been able to report anything since this whole thing started! I'm stuck, same as you and anyone else here."

"Who hired you?" she asked after his explanation.

"I-I don't really know. But, I think he mentioned a name, Rendon Howe, an Arl."

"He's an Arl and Teyrn Loghain's right hand man! So I didn't do anything wrong!" He tried to convince her.

"Why are you watching the castle?" She continued.

"Just to report any changes, honest! All I could send word about was the Arl getting sick. After that, monsters started coming from the castle."

The mage perked up then.

"Then do you know what could have possibly started this?" she looked up at him with raised brows, her hopes, however, were crushed when he shook his head.

"I don't know anything about these creatures. When the Arl got sick, I got scared that people would think I'm involved." He eyed her worriedly. "I was just sent here to watch, I didn't know the Arl would get sick and I didn't know those monsters would attack. For all I know, maybe they knew he would get sick!"

He turned around to pull out a bag from under the table and rustled his hand through it to pull out a piece of folded parchment.

"Here, this is a letter from them. It has instructions and everything, keep it. Do whatever you want." He handed Aria the letter with fervor and she took it. The elf ran a hand over his face as he eyed the half empty bottle of wine he had been nursing since before she got there.

"I just thought I was serving the king and making a bit of coin on the side…I never expected to get caught up in this weird shit."

Aria skimmed over the letter with a studious look before nodding and turning to the stressed elf.

"I believe you, but this is no excuse not to help those villagers out there when you clearly look like you could hold your own in a fight. Help them tonight and we can forget about this." She offered with a tone that said not to argue. The elf nodded swiftly, desperate to not get into any more trouble.

All right, I'll do it. Thank you for your mercy Warden." He sighed and stood up. Abandoning the wine bottle the elf grabbed the weapons leaning up against the wall that must have been his and bolted for the door. Aria watched him go just as she leaned against the edge of the table, thinking over the stranger's words.

Everything seemed to have started the moment Arl Eamon got sick. Yet, no one knew what he had or how he got sick. If this had any connection to one of Teyrn Loghain's supporters then nothing happening in this village was a coincidence. The timing too, seemed oddly perfect seeing as this was the first place they decided to ask for an alliance.

Aria didn't like the idea of this being a setup, but without any more information to go on it was all way over her head. Sighing, he mage stood up to go see if Morrigan was done with her preparations.


	19. Burn to Ash

Chapter 19: Burn to Ash

No one had bothered to even think about a well needed bath, there were far too many preparations to make now as the sun dipped lower into the horizon. All her companions met with each other one time to pass along information about what was going on at their side. Alistair was in with the spare knights from the Arl's castle and had gotten in touch with the town Blacksmith after Aria was able to insist he help them prepare for battle.

It hadn't taken long, but the men with the bows had been wrapped around Leliana's finger as she showed them how to properly use them. They were by no means talented marksmen, the bard had mentioned in that polite accented lilt of hers. But they were more likely to hit a target now than the last few days of hell they had been experiencing. Sten, of course, was much more blunt. He was not pleased with the skill the men attempted to hold their blades with. However, they were running out of time and learning how to block is just as helpful as learning how to cut your opponent down.

She watched as spare men coated the wooden barriers with oil and the Town Head bark out orders to those that were sheltering in the Chantry. All had to be done swiftly with the sun setting, and Aria already held her staff in a tight grip.

Passing Morrigan, who was shoving poultices into the hands of flustered men, acknowledged her with a wrinkle of her nose in distaste at the men gawking at her in a way not dissimilar to a lost puppy. Aria shrugged in an unhelpful manner before finding the back of the blond Warden's head surrounded by others dressed to the nine in well made steel armor.

Squeezing through the thin throng of villagers suiting up for the battle, no one looked forward to tonight, she tapped the arm of her fellow Warden so he would know she had made it to his side. The blond warrior looked down and sighed.

"There you are, I was beginning to worry the children had swept you up and hid you under their bed or something." He joked, the elf huffed and tapped her staff in the dirt under their boots with a dull 'thump'.

"What is it you needed me for, Alistair, I wanted to find Sten and Leliana before the night comes." As she spoke more of the knights around them had turned their attention to her and Alistair. She could feel curious eyes on her, but she swallowed down her trepidation and kept her back straight and her eyes on her friend. Her pointed ears could not be hidden now and surely she could hear a few of the men around them whisper.

"Sorry about that, but I wanted to make sure you knew who was leading the front lines of this little battle." The Warden shrugged before waving over a man, just a few inches taller than Alistair with his dark hair shaved back short. He was up there in human years, she could see the laugh lines through the scruff that needed to be shaved. His full armor clanked with every footstep and he clutched his helmet close. He looked just as conflicted as Aria felt as he cleared his throat and crossed his arms and bowed slightly as is standard greetings to a respected figure of Ferelden society. Aria bit her lip, no one had bowed to her since she had met King Cailen that short moment before all hell broke loose at Ostagar. She held up a hand.

"Please, uh…You do not need to bow." She stressed and the man lifted his head, unsure. It was a humble expression and she had to wonder if he treated all people like this, and not just the ones he held in high regard. It was a gesture she both wanted to see targeted at her not just by other mage's at the tower that had been impressed by her mastery of her talents when she was still young, but by others in general. It was a heavy feeling in her stomach that she realized it took her becoming a 'respectable' Grey Warden to get it. But it would have to do despite her not feeling as though she had done anything meaningful as a Warden beside not die.

"Forgive me, I admit, I do not know what to do or how to call an elven woman of your standing. I do not wish to insult the Grey Warden who agreed to help us in our time of need." He admitted. And Aria had to admire the honesty the man showed her.

"I will simply accept you calling me Aria, I may be a Warden, but I require no special treatment, simply talk to me as you would anyone else." She said with a nod and she could clearly see the man's shoulders sag in relief. The tense and questionable soldiers around them also seemed to accept what she had said, holding their heads just a little higher and backs a little straighter at the assumed 'Leader' of her ragtag pack. The elf smiled grimly up at Alistair as he nudged her with an elbow. The twinkle in his eye seemed to be perfectly on board with following her lead in this

"Then you may call me Sir Perth, I am the commander of these men." The Captain greeted at attention and Aria had to crane her head up to look at him as he spoke.

"Getting to the point…ahem Aria," the knight cleared his throat as he spoke her name without a given title, the men around them cracked smiles and some snickered in a good natured way as Perth scratched the side of his nose in what must have been a nervous habit. Aria nodded her head as a sign to go on. Whatever could be the matter with calling her by her given name?

Alistair leaned down to murmur jokingly in her ear as the Captain muttered words under his breath.

"Sir Perth is not very good at being 'casual'." He explained. Aria's lips twitched as she tried not to snort.

"Whatever for? It's just calling me by my name instead of 'elf', 'mage', or some other gods awful slur." She whispered back before Sir Perth coughed again to catch their attention and start speaking of stretching out the few knights they still had at their disposal. There were roughly a dozen fully armored and trained men at their flanks, listening to their Captain's words as they spoke strategy.

They would have to be spread out between the main road out of Redcliff towards the stone bridge connecting their closed off town to the castle on a neighboring hilly outcrop, to the docks, to guarding the Chantry where the civilians that couldn't fight would be taking shelter.

Aria agreed that whoever she was not bringing to the front lines, that is to say, the main road, should be stationed where she thought was best.

In the end, Alistair, Leliana, and Morrigan were to fight with her, the women knew just how to slow and cripple the undead and keep them open for the townsmen to slaughter the creatures. Though she was sure Sir Perth and his few men and Alistair would be doing most of the slaughtering. She expected to be doing much of the destruction against their enemies as well, she, out of her and Morrigan, was far more apt at causing more physical pain against their enemies than the witch was.

She was sure there was some sort of ironic joke to be made that the least confrontational of the two mages was more apt at burning her foes alive or making them explode from the inside out with a magical bomb that could be thrust into her victims body without them being none the wiser. The elf grimaced at her own train of thought. Her teachers at the Circle had been…of the gruesomely morbid sort. They had wanted to teach Aria all sorts of disgusting, painfully violent spells that would have her in tears by the time her lessons were over. She was both thankful and loathsome of them though in the long run. They taught her everything she knew. And what she knew, was how to destroy her opponents with fire, electricity, and using their bodies against them, no matter how shameful or disgusted with herself the gore made her feel.

Aria shook her head free of her branching train of thought and pointed at the crudely drawn map of the town. The Chantry was where she would place Sten and her mabari, Uthnehn. Protecting the few civilians that still populated the town was more important than the stores or homes right now.

The soldiers agreed then promptly separated into their groups to get into their positions. Aria looked up at the sky just as the sun began dipping into the shadows and the clouds overhead became an ominous, almost black, grey.

* * *

 

It was the calm before the storm. Redcliff was deathly silent as the townsmen and Aria's party stood, tight lipped and heads craned upwards towards the blacked silhouette of the bridge that extended across one side of the valley the castle was situated in to the other where the town lay. The bonfires built in key locations around the town to keep the darkness of the night at bay crackled and popped faintly as Leliana and Morrigan glanced between each other from where they were posted at the main road.

Alistair cracked his knuckles up front with the rest of the knights that made a wall of steel and muscle that she and Morrigan stood behind as the witch prepped her debilitating spells and behind the duo of mage's Leliana had the archers at the ready with their bows drawn and an arrow in their hands.

Aria could feel the radiating heat from the torches lit around the clearing they were stationed at. She waited, as the rest, on the balls of her feet. Hoping beyond all hope that she, her friends, and these people all got out alive.

There was a loud gasp from one of the archers in line on Leliana's command. Everyone turned their heads to focus on the silhouette of the bridge as the men around her murmured darkly. The tension in the air as thick as Alistair's weird oat gruel that no one liked. There were the sounds of metal scrapping as swords were pulled from their sheaths as many of the men on the main road quivered in their boot. The archers had a look of nervous fear so clear upon their faces that the elf had to turn away to watch the encroaching storm of footsteps and garish moans that steadily got louder the closer the creatures from the castle got to their side of the valley.

Already she could hear the frantic cry of the sentries shouting from their posts.

"They're coming!"

"Get ready!"

From the lead position, Sir Perth called for the barricades to be set aflame as the rumble of enough footsteps to assume a small militia was charging towards them by the sound.

The sharp, pungent stench of oil and fire filled the already dank air of the tormented town as Aria lifted her staff and sent her magic across the clearing and through the men around her. The energy was bright, reddish-orange and in moments the blades of every knight was enchanted with an unnatural fire that would burn no one but their enemies. A few of the younger men yelped at the enchantment, unsure how to handle the fact their swords were on fire. Aria ignored them for eying further down the path that veered off in either the direction towards the castle bridge, or the kings road.

Through the smoke rising from their burning defenses the elf could see the shifting of bodies, thin yet bulky all at once.

From the back lines, Leliana prepared her archers, they drew back their bows, arrows aimed right for the path as the creatures gave tortures battle cries that set Aria's nervous heart beating in frenzy.

They burst through the flames, brandishing their rusty swords and shields, gaping mouth opened, showing rotten and missing teeth. Their leathers were ripped and worn, as if they died in it, some wore rags and skirts of civilians that burned away to reveal their emaciated bodies underneath. Brown, decomposing skin dangled from those protruding ribs and skinny arms.

The stench of the fire was no match for the overwhelming, sickening odor of death and Aria had to swallow back the urge to be sick as the burning, animated corpses began slipping through the knights' ranks into her and Morrigan's view.

Aria wordlessly aided the fire steadily burning the corpses to death—for good. Red hot claws of fire spewed from the top of her staff as she herded the stragglers into the archer's path. They littered the creatures with arrows until they would collapse.

It became a pattern. The knights and Alistair attack, Aria and Morrigan disable the ones that slip through, the archers finish them off.

But then there was a pained cry and a few of the Redcliff knights went down, more than a dozen of the undead that just kept swarming the clearing broke through and Aria had barely enough time to erect a shield as a group of corpses pelted her protection with their weapons. She could hear the shrieks of other men in the distance as the numbers of their foes seem to double in the span of a few seconds as the knights formation crumbled in light of trying to hold the brunt of the numbers back. Yet it was to no avail and the first archer was cut down in a bloody display of blood and gore as his stomach was sliced open with the monster's jagged blade.

The elf squeeze her eyes shut in attempt to concentrate, but the image remained in her mind's eye and she choked on spit. In her brief moment of distraction, the shield that protected her from blows shattered and she was on her knees with her staff above her as a blade connected. She stared, wide eyed at the realization the blade had dug into the wooden part of her staff and not the bit of metal that kept the intricate top from breaking off. She shuffled out of the way just as the wood gave in and splintered, leaving the weapon that would have killed her to sink into the mud at their feet and her without a thing to channel the Fade.

Morrigan wasn't doing much better though; the only thing keeping her opponents away was the ice that encased their feet before her entire body changed to that of a bear before she lopped off their heads with a powerful swipe from her paws.

Stunning the creatures with a mind blast, Aria made a hasty retreat in order to scan the field of battle for something she could use. She skirted around the knights and their enchanted swords and blasted a monster back if it got to close. Leliana whacked one of the undead with the edge of her bow to give herself enough time to pull out a dagger she had kept secure around her thigh before stabbing her felled enemy. Alistair was near her, shield bashing a pair of the undead to leave them open to end them with a powerful swipe of his own burning blade.

Stepping over a fallen knight to avoid an attack on her side the elf raised her hands to create a path of fire that trapped the monsters closing in on her and Alistair who was only able to spare her a passing glance to make sure she wasn't dead. However, in the wake of all the blood, sweat, and stench she was unaware of the other body behind her, the mage's shriek as something grabbed onto her ankle and tripped her up was swallowed by the rage of tortured groans and metal connecting with metal.

Aria landed hard on the ground. Rolling away just in time before a leather boot kicked her head. She scrabbled to get back to her feet in the midst of battle, but the grip on her ankle was strong. Looking to her foot, she was met with the threatening, gaping maw of one of the undead. Its body had been cut in half and she could see the brown and maggoty intestines trailing after its severed torso which had her in its grasp. Her brown eyes pricked with the warning of over emotional tears.

Biting back any sob that could easily overwhelm her, the mage retracted a painful pulse of magic that stunned the monster into slackening its grip. Kicking the head with a sickening, squishy crack as the weakened bones shattered at her kick. The body moved no more once it fell and Aria took that chance to get to her knees just as another of the undead spotted her and charged, weapon raised.

Her breathing was heavy, and her throat dry, Aria had no energy to spar in erecting a shield. She dived for the ground, as she turned; she was so sure she could hear Alistair and Leliana shout for her. However, she was lost to the crowd of fire and death and reached out behind her for anything to defend herself to the next attack.

What her gloved hand clenched was cold and heavy, but in the midst of her panic as the next blow came barreling on towards her head it felt as light as a feather. In her tight grip, Aria cried out, pulling to object out to block the attack with a sharp kiss of rusted metal and newly polished. Grunting at the force it took to hold the opponent at bay with the sword she had picked up was just enough distraction for an arrow to pierce the skull of her foe and drop permanently dead.

Leliana was there in an instant, eyes scanning for more threats that the knights were handling now that the numbers were actually dropping. She held out a hand for the elf to take. Taking it gratefully, the archer helped her up, dusting the dirt and grime from her bottom.

The mage looked at the sword her hand stubbornly held onto, her grip didn't lessen, she didn't let it before finding just enough energy in herself to enchant the blade into taking a shimmery silver outline. Turning back to Leliana who watched with a curiously tilted eyebrow led her back to Alistair and Morrigan as they took the dwindling numbers as a good sign to take a breather as the knights cut down the last round of undead.

Morrigan turned to her with an indifferent expression as she eyed the sword in her grasp.

"Taking up swordsmanship Little Warden?" the witch crooned with very obvious amusement in her tone. Aris smiled and shrugged.

"My staff got destroyed during the fighting, this was the first thing I could grasp before I was almost beheaded." She explained.

"Isn't it heavy?" Leliana fretted as she eyed the one hand she held the shining sword with. It had a broad blade to it and as Aria eyed the weapon and held it out with her hand she amazed herself by realizing that no. No, it wasn't heavy at all.

"Not really, it feels quite light, kind of natural actually. More so than staves, I don't like staves."

"Don't like staves? You're a mage and you don't like staves?" Alistair shook his head as he eyed the short elf handle the sword carefully, giving it the occasional shallow swing. Aria shrugged as a response.

"You don't technically need to use one at the Tower unless it's to channel your magic into a stronger version of itself. However, it doesn't technically need to be a staff per say." She explained.

"I read once, that the ancient elves were able to channel their magic into swords and often fought wielding both during their fall out with the ones who worshiped their Andraste."

"So, you going to keep it?" Alistair pointed to it. Aria nodded.

"I kind of like how it feels." She justified as the cheering of the men and women of Redcliff filtered through the early morning darkness. They had survived another night with the bodies of the risen dead outnumbering those that were once living.

The four watched on as the men around them hugged and cheered, thanking them profusely as they gathered their dead.

* * *

 

With the sun rising higher into mid-morning after the battle to take back the town for its inhabitants, Teagan was adamant that Aria and her followers be given a sufficient time to unwind and rest after such arduous activities.

The elf had made a beeline towards the wash basins inside one of the secluded back rooms of the chantry. Lead by thankful women who warmed her water despite telling them there was no need to fret over her when she could just as easily light a harmless fire from her palms to warm it. She was also overly embarrassed and flabbergasted when a few of the women who usually worked in the castle tried to undo her robes for her. She had drawn the line before even the buckles to the fur lined shoulder guards and pushed the women out the door as the other women she traveled with squeezed inside the space to snag the other basins scattered through the room.

When Aria finally did get to sink into the hot waters to let the soot and grime wash off her body only then did she let out the longest, loudest sigh that had ever escaped her lips.

Closing her eyes to the slight sting of too hot water, warmed by her magic, the mage went through her thoughts at a rapid fire pace. Trying desperately to make sense of everything that was leading her through this…whatever it was.

She had just experienced another large scale battle; the deaths of the knights, a few townsmen, and the mayor were inevitable deaths. She had no skill to save them all. Yet it still hurt. The gripping pain in her chest, not unlike the one when she realized Ostagar was lost.

Leliana at one point during their baths had decided comfortable silence was too awkward for her and began humming the melody of some tavern song or other. And neither Aria or Morrigan really had it in them to tell her to leave them in silence as the women scrubbed their hair and bodies with the soaps that smelled of Andraste's Grace and elderberry.

* * *

 

After rest and a few words of success from Teagan there was food. Aria's stomach growled like a beast three times her size at the skewered beef from cattle that had been taken out in the first couple nights of terror. Just as it was with all Fereldan delicacies, very few herbs were used to distract from the natural taste of wheat and fat, except for a hardy spice. There were boiled eggs and chicken cooked right on the coals of fires sprinkled with sage and salt. Ale was brought out, as was juices of the occasional exotic fruits trading had gifted the town with.

There was of course, still oats and porridge, but it fared far better in taste than either she or Alistair could ever wish to make. Their feast was served on wooden plates, fingers the utensils and that was fine, it was the best meal the mage had ever had in a long time as she tipped the bowl of oats boiled in creams with nuts and apples.

Aria hated apples, but she couldn't quite make herself refuse it when one of the children that liked to cling to her borrowed tunic passed it to her with a grin.

Everyone had piled into the chantry, outside it smelled of oil and rot and looked as such. No one complained.

Looking to around her in the cramped front hall of the Chantry, her companions had all noticeably shed their armor, and most of the dresses or trousers they currently wore were borrowed from the locals as their usual attire had been confiscated to be washed by a few giggling who were chambermaids of the castle who were on break at the time of the attacks.

None seemed to mind, though Sten looked like his broad shoulders and threatening muscle mass would tear through his tunic.

The morning was spend like that, eating together with the strange people she had found herself with, surrounded by good food and a thankful town she had yet to fully fix. The strange happenings in the castle and the Arl himself was still looming over them. But for now, all was well.


	20. Blood Ties

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry it was physically painful to get through this chapter…at least my beta on FF.net, coolgamer likes it...

Sten was standing over Leliana, a stoic statue as always as the bard kneeled before that altar of the Chantry. It was assumed she was praying so the rest seemed keen on giving her the space. Sten being there by her side was little more than a curiosity that was of no interest to Morrigan, and Alistair just didn't want to ask the qunari what he found so interesting in a religion he thought inferior to the word of the Qun.

It was well past mid day, after the morning feast; everyone was stuffed full and the women had finally deemed their leathers and armor clean enough to be fit for public eye. Aria, unlike the two men of the group, who wouldn't have minded the stains or stench of their clothes, was starting to feel a minor appreciation to the little things such as clean clothes and a clean body as their stay in Redcliffe dragged on.

Aria was just wrapping the last of her shoulder up to help subtract the irritation of rubbing it raw on her shoulder guards that she had yet to re-buckle to her vest. She was just adjusting the strings to her tunic to cover her cloth breast wrap when the door to the room she was changing in flew open.

Like the brave soul she is, the mage only shrieked once as she jumped into the air. With heart beating out of her chest and face flushed enough when she realized she was actually completely clothed did she turn to spot Alistair by the door with an apologetic expression, just now realizing what she had been doing. He cleared his throat self consciously and turned around as she finally set to putting on her leather vest and walked out buckling her shoulder guards in place.

"Was there something so urgent you couldn't knock first?" she questioned the warrior as he came after her.

"Uh…oh, right. Teagan wanted to speak with us. After the mostly successful battle last night he wants to make one more push. This time inside the castle."

The elf halted in her tracks and turned, an unsure expression crossed her face. She still recalled the rot and blood that had coated her boot when she kicked in the head of that one monstrosity. The castle could still be teaming with them, no one knew the exact number after all. And she didn't exactly like the idea of sending these people she has surrounded herself with to an untimely death.

A similar unsure looked was mirrored in the warrior's eyes; he rubbed at the back of his neck.

"Are you sure it would be wise after just one good fight where no one was carried off to their doom? I'm no master tactician Alistair, but that sounds really, really, bad. For us, because apparently you and everyone else have decided I'm some important hero with your Maker's 'blessings upon me'. What does that even mean?" she rambled, hands raised to her hair in aggravation.

"Something you want to get off your chest?" the blond quirked his brow. The petite woman ran her hands through her short hair, brows furrowed desperately and bit her darkly painted lips. Her pointed ears prominently showed with her hair pulled back and a few of the villagers she surprised with her sudden outburst did stare a moment than she would assume was socially acceptable.

"I-I…no…" her voice softened as her eyes widened, shrinking into herself and trying to forget her outburst moments before. Alistair seemed to sense the sudden change in her demeanor and held out a hand to her shoulder. He stopped her and the hard flinch from where he touched her had him freeze in momentary fear.

"Aria?"

She shook her head as she swept her hair back over her ears self consciously.

"I'm scared….I'm so terrified and I'm just going with the flow and I don't know whether that's a good thing or not." Aria hissed, her voice near silent the male warden had to strain to hear it. He hadn't heard her speak so quietly since she first introduced herself to him at Ostagar.

He pulled them towards the pews and sat her down in the closest one, within earshot of Sten and Leliana. He sat close enough for her to feel the bite of cold metal from his armor. Not even the almost suffocating heat of the chantry could warm it.

They said nothing for a good minute when she leaned her elbows on her knees and put her head in her hands.

"People here keep looking at me as if the gods sent me to them, to save them from this plight. You keep turning to me for direction; Morrigan keeps telling me to walk with my back straight. Leliana came to me to ask if she could join us, Sten keeps giving me weird looks that make me squirm. Why is everyone coming to me!" she cried, nails biting into her scalp. The stress rolled off her in waves and the only clue that it was getting to the usually snarky, upbeat man at her side was a shift in his body weight. A guilty shift, Aria knew he couldn't exactly deny he's been relying on her decisions since the Wilds.

"Alistair, I'm an elf, a mage, and my opinion should hardly count as a well thought decision! I haven't been outside since I was a child…" She turned to look up at him, her brown eyes shined with heavy emotion and confusion.

"And…and now we're here and some noble expects me to lead some kind of assault on a castle. What am I doing, Alistair?"

There was a heavy exhale as the warrior leaned back, making the wooden bench creak. He turned his head towards the roof with a grimace.

"Did…did the Circle tell you your thoughts don't matter?" He glanced towards her, the dark look not leaving her. She turned her eyes downward to study her boots. Aria's lack of answer could be used as an answer in and of itself.

"Surrounded by books on philosophy, history, anything under the sun if properly requested, Mage's have nothing better to do than studying, we are educated in whatever we please. But that does not mean we have the ability to wield it. And the Templars did so love to take cracks at the smart ones."

"Didn't much appreciate the Mages that could argue and reason in their favor?" he asked.

"If we became too vocal while the wrong Templar was within earshot, we feared we'd be threatened with tranquility."

There was a bout of silence growing between them. The tension mounting into discomfort as she could feel Alistair shift once more in a jolt as she figured he came to his own conclusion.

"You weren't—"

"I was thirteen. Jow—A-Another mage and I were getting a little heated in a discussion on Templar rites and treatments in different Circles from what we learned from other transfers. I made a good point and didn't know anything was wrong until the following morning when I was called into Knight-Commander Greagoir's office and lectured for hours until he brought up the possibility of putting me under the watch list for disruptive behavior." She muttered.

"You know, you hear these kinds of stories from escaped mages. I heard some like this when I was still in training. It doesn't really seem real when hearing it from someone you don't really know or just retold through other recruits or older Templars. Is it really that bad? In the Circles I mean."

"No, not all the time. I'll admit there being just as much comfort in the Circle as there has been pain. But it's the feeling of abuse and the feeling of walls closing in around you after a while that we remember the most. It corrupts your thoughts as much as any sickness in the mind. Going years and years without being one of the few mages that get requests to leave does things to you…I don't think I even realized how much it affected me until Duncan came along."

"If it helps," Alistair breathed in, "I don't feel worried at all doing as you do and just going with the flow. It hasn't failed us yet, right?"

Aria craned her neck to see his tense grin and let one of her own slip onto her lips.

"You'll figure your place in all this eventually Aria, you aren't just a mage any more, now you are a warden too. So, let's go see what Teagan has to say."

* * *

 

It took a while to gather the rest of their group, Morrigan was a hard woman to find when she wanted to be, before heading across the bridge leading to the main road. They took a different turn to go up to the town's only windmill. A creaky thing with weathered wood panels under slightly newer ones. The thin cloth or leather stretched over the wings torn or singed from wear and fire.

Teagan stood off to one side in his fine clothes, his vest a pop of dyed silk that looked worn and stained after so many nights away from the castles finery. His fiery hair quickly combed and tied back away from his face. He paced, Alistair mumbled something about him being impatient and when she and her group walked into his line of sight he noticeably relaxed. A sigh of relief leaving the man as he turned his attention to Aria.

The elf pursed her lips as he beckoned them over with a wave of his hand and she opted to join him as he spoke up.

"Ah, there you are. I was beginning to worry. I don't know how much time we would have left if we started any later than high noon." he fisted his hands and Aria heard Alistair's armor shift behind her as the others waited some space behind, not nearly as involved in the discussion. They didn't know him as well as Alistair apparently did.

The nobleman took a few paces away from them, turning to cast his eyes to the castle in the distance, his shield revealed as he turned his back, the coat of arms of the castle displayed proudly across it.

"I'm sorry if I seem to be in a rush, it's just so unbelievable. The silence that has befallen the castle makes it seem like there's no one inside." Teagan slumped just so before straightening his back to turn to her and Alistair.

"Let's not delay any further. I had a plan…to enter the castle after the village is secure."

"Forgive me for speak up," Aria held up a hand to get her say in as she fumbled for a way to say it. "But just because the village is safe for the night does not mean it will be the following night. And is it wise to go to the castle right now?" she questioned. Teagan was silent for a moment before he nodded, a grimace shadowing his features.

"Yes…It is a hasty plan, but my family trapped in there, and I wish to see them free and well again."

Their discussion shifted, Aria had to accept the fact Teagan was not going to take any sort of precautious thought as anything other than a waste of time now. They were informed of the secret passage way into the castle through a door in the windmill. In the midst of planning how they would be sneaking in, the red haired man stopped mid sentence at the sound of clanking armor and faint cries. The group turned to look out towards the path that led to the bridge the undead had crossed to leave the castle.

A woman, in the distance wearing pale, fine clothing, behind her a tall man, masked by the helmet of his dinged up armor. Teagan let out a disbelieving sound as he bolted forward.

"Maker's breath!"

"Teagan!" The woman shouted her voice heavy in the same accent Leliana spoke with. Alistair sucked in a breath as he led her and the others in their group to the reuniting nobles. Teagan had stopped directly in front of the woman, hands held out worriedly as she had to catch her heavy breath. The man in the armor a silent guard as the red haired man placed his hands to the woman's face to have her peer up at him.

The woman was stunning in the way sweat glistened off her pale, creamy skin. Her full and pouting lips painted a daring rouge, now smudged and faded due to her excursion and her lashes fluttered out dark and black against her honey brown eyes. Her impeccable bun, decorated with what would have been neatly cared for braids and twists was fizzed and unkempt, the honey blond strands framing her shapely face and narrow jaw. There were slight crow's feet at the corners of her eyes most likely due to stress. She was, by all means, a stunning noblewoman as Teagan thanked the Maker he got to see someone from the castle alive. She seemed to share the same sentiment as she grabbed his hands in tired thanks.

"Oh Teagan, I am so happy you are alive!" she breathed.

"Isolde, how in the—you escaped, how is my brother? Connor? Tell me not everyone is dead! How did this happen?" he pleaded to her.

Isolde shook her head as her answer.

"Oh please Teagan, I haven't the time to tell you so much with so little time! Please, you must return to the castle with me, I only had but little time to leave the castle. I must return shortly." Isolde nervously looked back, as if she expected the corpses that had come from the castle to have followed her.

Aria stayed at a short distance to watch the reunion unfold. Alistair shifted uncomfortably at her side and she turned to catch the warrior's eye as he grimaced with unspoken nerves. Not completely understanding of his reaction to the noblewoman, she turned to see if any of the others have caught onto his behavior.

Sten, of course, looked more annoyed than worried, and Morrigan just looked on with mild interest as she listened to the humans fret to each other. Leliana did turn to her though, worrying her bottom lip as she looked between Alistair and the two humans of note. The woman shrugged silently however, just as unsure as Aria was.

Teagan nodded his head, without argument.

"Of course Isolde, we were just planning our breach of the castle, rest assured you will be—"

"No!" The woman's voice pitched higher as she held her hands out. Her honey brown eyes as wide as saucers as she reaches out to Teagan to halt him when he began to turn towards Aria.

She seemed to get a hold of herself as she caught her breath and let it out slowly before speaking again. Aria, however, was already feeling that creeping sense of in her gut that had her narrow her brown eyes at the woman.

"Isolde…" Teagan murmured.

"No, Teagan….I-I need you to return with me. Alone." She emphasized.

"I'm afraid you're going to have to give us a better explanation than that." Aria cleared her throat, taking the extra step to be in the noblewoman's line of sight.

Straightening up, the honey blond woman stared down at Aria as if personally affronted. Her eyes narrowed as she looked down at Aria's leather clothed form with the dinged looking sword strapped to her belt as if noticing she was there for the first time. There was a sharp glint in her eyes and the elf recognized a look of someone who wanted to demand why she was addressing her.

"Excuse me?" Isolde hissed, her smudged lips down turned into a slightly unattractive scowl before snapping her head in the direction of her various companions. Her eyes zeroed in on the armored form of Alistair whose eyes widened momentarily before he ducked his head down as if to hide himself. Isolde huffed and brought her attention back to Aria and furrowed her well groomed brow.

"Teagan, who are these…these people? This woman?" she demanded. Alistair sighed, rubbing his gloved hand over his face before catching the woman's attention yet again. His voice was strained and he wore a tight grimace. He sighed heavily.

"You remember me, don't you?" he sounded as if the very admittance that he knew her to be hard on him. Isolde stares at the young man, her eyes nothing but judging slits before they widen considerably, her posture freezes as her voice come out as nothing but a spiteful hiss, as if the warrior's name was a poison on her tongue.

"Alistair? Of all the…What are you doing here?"

Aria's form petrified from the well held back hatred the woman's body gave off. As the rest simply stared in minute surprise at the woman's reaction. Teagan sighed in the thick atmosphere.

"Isolde, please, they are Grey Wardens and I owe them my life." The red haired nobleman tried to ease the tension. His words seemed to appease the woman only slightly as she once again eyed Aria before clearing her throat, giving a forced polite,

"Pardon me." That sounded wearier than anything else.

"Look, I would exchange pleasantries, but…concerning the circumstances…"

The woman was reluctant to continue, so it was Alistair who spoke next. Aria sent him a questioning look, his gaze flickered to her in a moment, the silent exchange clear in his light brown eyes that he would explain everything once this was cleared up. The mage gave a silent nod and let him speak.

"Please, Lady Isolde…we had no idea if anyone was even still alive in the castle. We must have some answers." He spoke softly, unsure and respectful to a fault. It was unlike his usual light hearted tone. He sounded like a small child who had just been scolded by meeting the sharp motion of a disciplining hand...it was...disconcerting to see the cheerful man curl in on himself, looking anywhere but the woman's eyes.

It seemed that was the straw that broke the mules back though and the older woman's stern expression crumbled into one of desperation. She turned away and let out an aggrieved sound.

"I know you need more of an explanation, but I…" the woman looked about to sob as she took no care as she swiped her silky sleeve against the corner of her eyes and smudged yet more of the makeup that made up her features. The woman was a mess.

"I don't know what is safe to tell…" she confessed in a weak whisper. She shook her head and wiped away the beginnings of tears, sniffling before collecting herself enough to present her face back to Teagan.

"Teagan, there is a terrible evil within the castle. The dead awaken and hunt the living. The mage responsible was caught, but still these horrors continue."

Aria's breath seemed to just about leave her at the mention of a mage, brown eyes looked towards her companions in their own states of interest, but still the woman continued.

"I think Connor is going mad…We have survived, but he won't flee the castle. My precious boy, he has seen so much death! You must help him Teagan! You are his uncle, you could reason with him. I do not know what else to do!"

Behind Aria, a hand rests on her shoulder, the elf turned to find a sharp eyed Leliana glance at her, then to Lady Isolde. The sister's lips pursed conspiratorially.

"If I may be so bold," The sweet lilt of her accent washed over the elf as Leliana took her hand from the mage's shoulder to cross her arms. "But there are things you are not telling us, Lady Isolde."

The woman once more straightened up, scowling in offense.

"I-I beg your pardon! That's a rather impertinent accusation!"

Aria watched Leliana's lips curl into a sly smile as the kind red haired woman disappeared, leaving nothing but a rogue in her place. It was a side the elf had yet to see in the woman as she watched in silence.

"My, Lady Isolde, you are Orlesian, no? Surely all this time spent in Ferelden has not dulled your participation of The Game?" The archer glanced to Aria and the elf blinked before turning to face the ruffled noble.

"Surely you would not let your subordinate talk to me in such a way!" Isolde huffed to Alistair who held up his arms in defeat.

"I'm afraid, Lady Isolde, that they uh, do not answer to me…" he awkwardly pointed to Aria who stood awkwardly in the front of the group, Leliana chuckles at the disbelieving look that flashes across the nobles face. Aria shrugged.

"If it is true, and I trust Leliana's judgment, then I would advise you not to hide as much as you can from us." Aria asserted.

"An evil holds my son and husband hostage! I came for help! What more do you want from me?" she argued.

"If it puts my companions lives in danger, I would appreciate the truth Lady Isolde!" Aria snapped as if it were obvious.

"I do not understand," Teagan spoke up with great concern. "What is this 'great evil'? Did it create the corpses? What is it?"

"I don't know!" Isolde hissed. "Something the mage unleashed, so far it allows Eamon, Connor, and myself to live."

Her voice softened.

"The others…they were not so fortunate. It's killed so many and turned their bodies into walking nightmares! Once it was done with the castle it attacked the village!"

"It wants us to live, but I do not know why. It allowed me to come to you Teagan, because I begged, because I said Connor needed help."

"Could this be a demon?" Aria asked, she glanced over to Morrigan who was thinking along those same lines.

"It is the most possible assumption." Morrigan agreed.

"A demon! Oh Maker, please no! If that is the case then I must go back, my Connor is in there all by himself, please, Teagan, come with me!" Isolde gasps, latching on to the man, looking for all the world like she would drag him if she must. Teagan faced Aria with a grim look.

"I will return with her." He gave in. The man held out a ring for Aria to take, which she did with a troubled look.

"Go, I will be fine, use the secret path into the castle, do what you can and maybe we will run into each other before things get too serious." Teagan set a heavy hand on her slim shoulders, a significant look flickered past his eyes before he turned away and ran with Isolde at his side and the guard back to the nightmarish castle. Aria watched them round a corner and disappear from sight, her gut heavy and twisting against her will.

"It was foolish, but he had no choice in the end." Leliana murmured, Aria nodded, squeezed the ring and then looked up to see Alistair still looking down the road, biting his lip and looking close to running after the two who had left in a rush.

"Alistair." Aria murmured. The man flinched, turning to the mage and the rest of the party. He sighed heavily, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Ok…Look, I probably should have told you all the truth earlier but…Ok, where to start…" He stumbled through his words.

"So, you kinda have the idea that I'm close with the Arl, well, the truth of the matter is that the Arl…Well, he kind of, sort of raised me? And well, you see, my mom was a serving girl at the castle and he took me in."

Alistair breathed in at once.

"And well, the reason for that was because…My father was King Maric. Which makes Cailin my…half-brother kind of, sort of…" he rushed out in front of the small group, leaving Aria to blink up at him in mild disbelief.

"Uhh…wait-what?" she asks meekly. Her head spinning at her friend's sudden confession. She runs her nails through her hair, messing it.

"We have an heir to the throne amongst us, of course we have an heir to the throne, look at us!" she practically shrieked. Alistair flinched.

"Maker's Breath, I hope not. I don't…you don't really think so, do you? I-I'm a bastard, nobody even knows about me!" he argued weakly.

"Alistair, you're a king's illegitimate child, but you're still his child!" the elf fretted.

"Yeah but, I was never really interested in all that, you know? I didn't want to stir up any trouble during Cailin's rule…Anyone involved just kept it a secret, this is the first time I've ever actually talked about it. And the ones who knew either resented me for it or coddled me…even Duncan left me out of the fighting because of it." He muttered with his head down.

"I just…I didn't want you to know for as long as possible, especially you. I didn't want you to hate me. I'm sorry…" he muttered.

Aria breathed in deeply, behind them Morrigan groaned at the fact there was an 'idiot' in line to the throne. She let out her breath and lowered her arms.

"I don't hate you Alistair, I may be in a position to have a great deal of dislike towards them, but really I've never understood politics so I don't care. This little group of ours is weird enough, why not add a bastard prince, right?"

Alistair let out a stilted laugh.


	21. Reunion

The tunnels leading down under the windmill were dusty; cobwebs trailed down from the ceiling. Aria covered her mouth with her gloved hand to prevent the fit of coughing she would have been subjected to otherwise and reached out with her other hand to ignite a fire in her palm.  Her ears twitched from the shuffle of her companion’s feet behind her and with a nod to them and Uthnehn by her side, she lit the way through the tunnel.

Looking back at her current party, she had brought only Alistair, Morrigan and the mabari. She hadn’t wanted to leave the town they spent the night protecting to be left unguarded as she led them into an obviously questionable danger. Aria trusted Sten and Leliana enough to believe they would not abandon the townsfolk for their own safety or interest. 

Besides, Leliana chose to join them, and Sten had nowhere but a cage and possible wanted poster if he were to lose his temper again and…Aria shook her head away from those thoughts. She tried not to think about why he had been in that cage in the first place.

The journey through the musty, old tunnels was uneventful for the most part.

There was a steep dip in the path as they headed farther underground and the air was stale and heavy. It was hard to breath in the encompassing darkness that swallowed her fire light and every crumble of earth over their heads had the mage gulping in paranoia. She felt as if the walls around her would cave in under the weight of the earth above them. When such thoughts stuttered her steps, she was relieved at least, that Uthnehn could ease her troubled mind if only for a few more minutes by pushing his head into her unoccupied hand for an ear scratch. At that point she would release a heavy breath that helped the tension as the group carried on.

Mentally, Aria would apologize to the humans with her. She was nervous and twitchy the deeper they went. The earth and pebbles fell from the low hung ceiling and dusted their hair and faces, and the lichen that brushed the tips of her ears was uncomfortable and caused shivers to run up her spine. The tension that hounded her every step had to have been malleable to the others as the silence left hanging in the air was thick, choking any thought to forming words to ease any of their worries. She shouldn’t make the ones following her lead nervous, it would make everything worse. So she focused on thoughts outside of their situation.

But the only real thought that held even a moment’s distraction for her was Alistair’s confession. His connection to the Arl they were set to save and the king that was left to the slaughter at Ostagar was complicated. Shocking, really. Aria believed she took it well enough when they were above ground. But it honestly hurt to think too hard about it. Because there was a prince amongst whatever sort of group she’s made of them all. For her fellow Warden, and dare she think friend, she would work to get passed the mind numbing shock of his heritage. They had no reason to linger on such things anyways. None of them were invested in the politics of Ferelden—except for bringing Loghain to justice—and Alistair had no desire for the throne in the first place.

Earth crumbled and landed atop her head. It caused a sharp flinch and yet again, Uthnehn was making a pleading noise as he brushed up against her, reaching with his broad head for her free hand. Her twitchy fingers focused on his coarse, short fur before relaxing her shoulders and once again breathed evenly through her nose. She pointedly ignored the rocks beginning to flatten out and form a barrier over their heads and the chill of Morrigan’s magic at her back.

* * *

When dirt passageways turned to cracked stone and the walls stretched at least an extra foot above their heads with supports of dusty wooden beam did the group well and truly start to straighten their backs from their cautious, hunched back forms. There was a distinct incline to their path now; not just one of them breathed a sigh of relief. Before too long, the outline of a door could be seen where the fire alight in her hand barely reached.

They reached it shortly after as Alistair pushed ahead of the women to pull open the heavy door. Dust kicked up in the wake of the movement, causing Alistair to cough as Aria and Morrigan stood back.

Pushing the door against the wall, Alistair peaked in, yet already all three could see the torches had been lit, and had been cared for at some point recent. The warrior stepped into the more well lit area and checked the immediate area before he gave them the ‘ok’ to follow him in.

Stepping in, Aria extinguished the fire in her palm to stand in a long corridor with lit torches at regular intervals and a wall of iron bars. The elf started, stepping back as if shocked to see the hand of an emaciated skeleton peeking out from one of the cells. She collided with Morrigan, whom grasped her shoulder, turning to glance at the sharp eyed woman, the witch gave her an equally stern expression.

Straightening up, the Mage mumbled an apology before turning to Alistair for an explanation.

“We’re in the dungeons now.” He pointed down the hall. “Around the corner will be another hall, at the end should be a flight of stairs that leads into the castle.”

“Right…” The elf sighed as she squared her shoulders.

There was a faint echo of what sounded like a pebble hitting the wall and Aria’s brave expression faltered yet again.

“Let’s just do what we came here for.” Alistair stood a little straighter in her stead. His brown eyes locked on the path ahead. Aria looked up at him, thought about what he had to lose if they did not do what was asked of them.

A dead father figure, a young boy who could have been like a brother if he had stayed in this place.

She couldn’t let that happen.

With one last deep breath, she looked ahead as well and began their trek down the hall. They stopped yet again though at another echoing noise, this one more distinct than the sound of a pebble hitting the stone surface of the walls around them or the floor they walked upon.

Morrigan hummed.

“It seems the Arlessa and her son may not be the only ones to survive.”

“Then we free them from this place too. Prisoner or not.” Aria decided.

“They may also have valuable information to give.” Morrigan commented as they continued on.

Uthnehn took the lead then, tail wagging and nose going to the floor before his head would perk up, and then go back to the ground as if looking for something.

They turn the corner.

“Hello…?” A voice echoed and Aria stopped in her tracks as her heart leapt from her chest and into her throat. It wasn’t anyone from the group that traveled into the tunnels, they were as tight lipped as she was and looked to her before eyeing the hall as the echo of the other voice bounced off the stone walls.

Alistair looked distinctly troubled, like he hadn’t expected there to be a prisoner regardless of whether they had decided to free anyone who was still obviously alive. 

And there was something almost familiar in the sound of the voice as Aria picked up her pace to end the sudden mystery they’ve gained to the one they’ve already been tasked to deal with. Their steps echoed on the stone walkway and that in turn caught the attention of the prisoner.

“Hello? Is anyone there?” the man’s voice wavered nervously and they come to the one cell that held a living prisoner. Aria turns her head towards them and she stops moving. All the breath in her body just escapes her without her consent as she and the imprisoned man in blood stained robes lock eyes. She sees him in a similar state of shock as his intake of breath is audible to everyone in the dungeon. 

The two mages stare at each other as if this was the first time they’d thought another like them did not exist until they were faced with them this very second. Suddenly, Aria wanted to do nothing more than turn away and continue on, to face the disgusting hordes of walking dead than deal with the dark haired man staring at her with wide, haunted eyes.

“Jowan….” Her voice was so soft, she was sure the only one to hear it was Uthnehn, as the mabari’s ear twitched just so before the man before them broke out of his own trance and took a hesitant step towards the iron bars of his prison.

“By the Maker….it-it’s you. I can’t believe it’s you, how did you get here?” He breathed.

And then the mage remembered her task at hand and the shock was replaced with a cold douse of ice water and she took a step away from the prison, shaking her head. She stumbled into Alistair, who reached out a concerned hand to steady her. 

“Jowan…What have you done.” She murmured to the man she never thought she would see again after leaving her and the woman he claimed to love surrounded by Templars. 

Jowan seemed to have remembered their last endeavor together as well before he flinched back, his hands retreating from the iron bars. He brought his hands to his chest as he unconsciously rubbed at a rough scar that was on both sides of one hand. Aria turned away sharply with an intake of breath as she realized the scar he rubbed had to have been on the hand he had stabbed as he overwhelmed everyone with blood magic to escape. She felt her fists clench as a tense silence swallowed the people in the dungeon. Aria could feel Jowan’s eyes watch her as she struggled not to make a sound, or choke on nothing.

She didn’t think she was ready for this, whatever this was turning into. An intervention? A confrontation? Aria didn’t much like the idea of either of those words. And from the look on Jowan’s face, he wasn’t ready for her either.

A rueful noise that left the human mage brought her attention back to him as he gave her that familiar self pitying smile she remembered as he lowered his hands and covered the scared one, as if not showing it meant it didn’t exist, as if it wasn’t the proof of a broken friendship.

“Yeah…I never expected to see you again either.” He murmured. He sighed, looked away from her, somewhere over her shoulder where her companions must have looked either utterly confused or indifferent.

“Just another bloody mistake on my part, like the phylactery, like the magic, like everything in my miserable life I’ve screwed up.” The man in the prison continued to mutter.

“You mean it was you who poisoned the Arl?” Alistair’s suddenly very loud voice made the elven mage flinch, as if he had broken her out of her own little world, where it had only been she and Jowan and their twisted little reunion.

“Yes, I poisoned the Arl.” Jowan pursed his lips, looking only at Aria as he answered, as if she had asked him and not the soldier behind her. 

Aria wanted to balk at how easily the confession came. It made her angry for some reason.  She didn’t understand it, but the ease in which the man before them had bowed his head and professed his crimes in that infuriating, self loathing tone made her want to slam her fists against the iron bars, or break the cage holding this man just so she could leap in and strangle the bastard.

And that rage in her, so odd and unfamiliar to her caused her fists to tremble and her teeth to grit as she furrowed her brow and stared at this damned, bloody mess of a man.

“A mistake, is that all this ever is to you? Poisoning the Arl, or sending me to my death by convincing me to help you escape with that Lily woman? Is that all you can call it?” The bite in her harsh tone brought all eyes on her, yet for once, Aria couldn’t care less.

Then Jowan’s eyes got wide, Aria watched him forget himself as he stepped closer and wrapped his fingers around the bars and peered out at her with an imploring, almost hopeful gleam in his dark eyes.

“Lily, oh my sweet Lily! They didn’t hurt her did they? What happened after I left?”

Aria couldn’t help but once again back away into the reassuring hard metal of Alistair’s armor. She felt his hand come up to her shoulder. She spared him a glance, his brow was deeply furrowed and his confusion was clear as day even in the dramatic lighting or the sparse torches in the hall. He looked as if he wanted to speak. Maybe to ask her how she knew this other man, or if she was ok when the shake of her tense shoulders clearly told the others without her needing to speak that she most certainly was not ok right now.

But there was no point to running now. As much as it loathed her to speak with the desperate man in front of her, he admitted to poisoning the Arl, and now, with the knowledge of knowing Jowan has done blood magic before, she must question if he had been the cause of Redcliffe's nightly terrors as well.

“The chantry sent her away.” She finally informed him. “I don’t know where, better than where I was going, probably.” She muttered bitterly, her brown eyes dull as she recalled the templar’s that surrounded her. The threat of being sent to death as a practical stranger was sent away with an escort. The redhead had been in hysterics after witnessing Jowan cut his hand and take control of his blood.

Before, even though Aria had hardly known Lily, she was terribly concerned for the woman and if she would be ok.

Now though, she felt oddly numb even thinking of the woman’s name. She hadn’t even been friends with Lily, hadn’t known her last name or spoke to her until that fateful day. Now, she realizes, with everything she had gotten roped into doing after joining Duncan, she hadn’t really thought of the poor woman.

Aria wonders briefly if that made her a bad person, forgetting someone that could have been sent off to jail or worse because of her childhood friend.

“She must hate me so much…” Jowan moaned. “If she even lives. Maker, how did it come to this…”

He looks back to Aria before sighing miserably.

“So, my beloved is gone, you are looking at me as if I was that stupid brat that stole the little pastry I slaved over for your thirteenth birthday after he smacked it out of your hand, and I am in a cell after making a mess of things. What have I missed?”

“The undead wreaking havoc in the town every night and killing a lot of innocent people.” Morrigan supplied unfeelingly.

“Are you responsible?” Aria asked out right.

“No! I-I know this looks suspicious, after all I did to the Arl, but I’m not responsible for the creatures. I was already imprisoned when that began.” Jowan gave another rueful smile as he looked down at his torn robes. Aria noticed many of the stains were new. Or, new-ish. “Isolde came here with her men one night, demanding I fix what I had done, I thought she had meant the poisoning. What she told me was happening in the castle was news to me….S-She thought I was lying.” He whispered as she rubbed his hands habitually once more.

They watched him space out, finch at nothing but at whatever memory was going through his mind.

“She thought I summoned a demon to torment her family. I was…I was tortured, but she was not pleased with my answer.” Jowan lowered his head and in that instance, Aria felt a sickening pang in her chest. She looked down and the two shared a silent moment, her anger in him lost in the pity she felt.

Aria hardly flinched at his grime confession to torture. But even as her stomach roiled in distaste at the thought, she found herself not the least bit caring. It...frightened her. How uncaring she felt in the face of the man that use to be her world in the Circle. Aria took a deep breath and look back up at the man regardless. Because there were still questions to be answered.

“Why were you here Jowan. How did you get from escaping the Circle to being locked in this cage?” she whispered. Jowan turned his head up to her yet again.

The tale he spun made her gut twist and she could hear the leather gloves Alistair wore creak with his agitation.

Loghain had found him, he said. Half starved and scared out of his wits trying to avoid public areas until he had stumbled upon the Teyrn’s party as they were heading to Ostagar. He said, at first he ordered his men to lock him away. His escape from the Circle was widely spread since he was now labeled a dangerous Blood Mage. Jowan said he wasn’t sure if they were going to kill him or return him to the Circle for retribution. It wasn’t until after the events that happened in Ostagar—of which Jowan was actually ignorant of except for knowing Loghain’s forced retreated. When they arrived at the Teyrn’s manor in Denerim he was then locked in the dungeons there.

It wasn’t until the Teyrn and another man came into the dungeons to strike a deal with him did he actually speak with Loghain for the first time. 

“However, it was the other man, a much older one with a big nose that did most of the talking. Teyrn Loghain just kind of watch with this big scowl on his face most of the time. He looked kind of troubled, I think. That was when they brought up the Arl.” Jowan informed.

They asked him to kill, and in return, they would speak to the Circle about his punishment for his crimes. 

By the end, Aria was pale. So many things happening were over her head. The Teyrn sending an assassin to kill the arl, Loghain betraying the king, killing off the Grey Warden’s, Aria didn’t understand what he could be playing at. What was his end goal.

Too much was going on by the hands of one man and it terrified her that he had the power to do it.

“How could you listen to a man like Loghain!?” Alistair shouted “Do you not realize what he has done?”

The mage in the prison jumped in fright, curling in on himself.

“I was told the arl was a threat to Ferelden. I just wanted to return to the circle, to go home. But I’ve been abandoned again, haven’t I?”

“And you would kill to go back there now?” Aria spat

“Connor—the arl’s son…he started to show…signs. Lady Isolde was terrified he would be taken away, Teyrn Loghain knew she was searching for a tutor in secret.”

However, apparently, Jowan hadn’t been able to teach the boy much. And by the time Jowan was starting to question the reason he was really there, it had been too late, the arl was poisoned and he was locked away.

“You’re here to fix things, aren’t you?” he asked her.

Aria bit her lip. She wasn’t even sure if she would be able to save Isolde’s son at this point. What if the boy had been corrupted by a demon already? By the sounds of it, it could have been Connor himself who had started this nightmare.

“Please Aria, I’m sick of all this running. I wish, if there is still a little part of you that considers us still friends, to let me out. I want to help fix this, I know I don’t deserve a second chance, or to even call you a friend. But I need to try and fix things, make them right again.”

Aria let out a harsh laugh.

“Fix this? And how would you fix this? With more blood magic Jowan?!” the mage raised her hand, motioning to his bloodied robes.

“Face it, even if you had succeeded and Loghain had spoken to the circle, you would have ended up, at the very least, tranquil. But if I let you go, what’s stopping you from betraying my trust a second time and running off?”

Aria turned away, from both the man she once considered a friend, and her current companions who had been silently by her side during this whole exchange.

“Aria…please I-I’m so sorry…” Jowan pleaded. But the elf shook her head, and hunched her shoulders.

“No Jowan, you can stay in your cell.”

And then with a quick few steps Aria was sprinting down the hall like her life depended on it, catching her companions off guard as they turned from the imprisoned, miserable mage without a second thought to chase after her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well now, this chapter took a bit of time to get out. I had hardly worked on it in months and then, when i sent it in to my beta, life was so hectic she forgot about it. But alls good, and its out now.


End file.
